Mining Hearts
by Mocking Verse
Summary: Denver is a poor girl from the Seam, she lives with only her brother, they barely get by. But when tragic circumstances force Denver to go into the Earth, everything changes.       Sorry I suck at summaries XD please read and review. Gale Hawthorne x OC
1. Chapter 1

**Hello and thanks for clicking on this story XD. Just a heads up I suck at writing the first chapter of stories, but I promise it will get better! So yeah, lets start this off with a quote! It reminded me of Gale **

"_When you look for a man- what you want to look for is a man with the heart of a poor boy and the mind of a conqueror."  
>― <em>_C. JoyBell C._

I roll over slowly in bed; a slight groan escapes my lips. I open my eyes to see my brother, Kline, sitting at the table in the other room drinking tea. I swing my legs out of bed and go over to him; I wrap my arms around him from behind. "Good morning." I greet him sleepily and rest my chin on his shoulder.

I love my brother, more than anything else in the world. He's the only thing I have left; I have him and he has me. Our parents are dead. My mom died when I was only five, she got a fever in the dead of winter. My father died two years ago, blown to bits in the latest mining accident here in District Twelve. We were lucky, since Kline had just turned nineteen the day before, so he got a job in the mines right away. Became the provider for us both, keeps us both alive.

"Morning Den." He smiles at me. My names not really Den, no, that's just my nickname. My real name is Denver, Denver Rowsell. An eighteen year old girl who lives in the Seam, who hates the Capital, and is a regular in the Hob. I let go of my brother and go over and check our food supply. Low. Of course it is, it always is, but I don't mind. We get what we can, we have what we have. I slice a piece of bread off of the half loaf of stale bread that we have out and chew it slowly. I can just get some soup from Greasy Sae when I go to the Hob once Kline leaves for work, which should be soon. I go and sit across from him; he's already in his work clothes; his pick axe and hardhat wait by the door.

"I was going to see if I can get some more firewood today." I casually inform him.

"Good, we'll run out soon. Only get enough for this week though, we need food too." Kline sounds like he's forty years old, not twenty one, when he says things like this. I can barely remember the fun-loving brother I grew up with. Who always ran outside, forgetting to brush his black hair, and go off and pull pranks or play with his friends. No, he's grown up a lot in the past few years.

"I know, you should be off now, you'll be late."

Kline nods and pushes his chair back. I shove the rest of my bread in my mouth and go and grab his coat for him. It's our fathers, but Kline uses it now for walks to the mines. I hand it to him as he finishes lacing up his leather work boots. They're covered in a layer of coal dust, like everything else is. He puts on his hardhat and I wait patiently to hand him his pickaxe. It's heavy in my hands, but Kline carries it with ease. I hand it to him as he steps out the door. I follow him out and stand on the rickety thing we call our porch. Our whole house is in bad shape, but it has a foundation and keeps the roof above our heads, so it works. I give Kline a quick hug.

"Be careful." I warn him, mining is extremely dangerous; any day could be his last.

"I always am." He grins down at me and pats my back, then starts to make his way down the road towards the mines at the south end of the Seam. I glance over to the house a few houses down from ours on the other side of the road. I see Gale Hawthorne give his little sister Posy a hug goodbye; he stands up and ruffles her pale red hair. I smile at the sight of them, which I see every morning.

Gale steps off his porch and begins his way to the mines; I raise my hand slightly to him in greeting as he passes my house.

"Morning" I call out to him. He turns his head and gives me a slight nod and mimics the gesture I gave him.

"Good morning." He answers without stopping.

And that's the only interaction I've had with Gale Hawthorne every single day for the past six years. I can't blame him, his father was killed in a mine explosion when he was fourteen and he became head of the household. But sometimes I just wish my old best friend would still talk to me. We had done everything together; hung out every day, were in the same class, had sleepovers. But that all changed dramatically when his father died.

He doesn't know it, but even after that, all through school I looked out for him. I can't deny that he isn't one of, or is, the best looking guy his age in our District. He has the same Seam look that I do. Dark hair, olive skin, gray eyes. But whenever I overheard a group of girls talking about how they should go flirt with him or whatever I would barge over and tell them he wouldn't give a fuck in hell and not to annoy him. He has enough to worry about, no need to make it harder.

I go and make my way over to his house now; usually I walk Vick and Rory to school. Not because they need someone to escort them, but because I'm friends with them. After they're at school I'll go to the Hob, I don't go to school anymore, I could, but I choose not to, it's not required of kids once they turn eighteen. I don't go inside their house, just lean against the house and wait for them to come out.

As usual Rory comes out first, I go and grab him in a headlock and rub his head with my fist. I hear Posy laugh as she watches me torture her brother, then I feel a weight come crashing down on my back. It's Vick as he jumps on me and forces me to let go of Rory. He positions himself on my back and kicks my sides like I'm a horse as I loop my arms through his legs so he won't fall off.

"Hey, not fair!" I laugh and I drop my hands and let him fall to the ground. I look up at the sound of Hazelle, their mother, laughing at us. She waves us off.

"Go off to school." She tries to sound serious but breaks off laughing at us. I give Rory a gentle shove in the back and help Rory up from the light snow that covers the ground.

"Come on, don't want to be late. I need to get some firewood for Kline and I anyways and I want to get there before it gets crowded." I explain to the boys as we start walking towards the school. I bid Hazelle goodbye as she thanks me again for going with the boys, she says they really do enjoy it. Even if when I'm there they complain about how dumb it looks when they show up in the schoolyard with me.

A sharp whistle pierces the still air announcing work in the mines has begun for the day. This also tells us, that school starts in half an hour.

"Hey look! It's Katniss and Peeta!" Vick points out to Rory and I as we make our way past the square. I turn and see the two latest Hunger Games victors on screen. It shows them stepping off the train in District Eleven, they must have just arrived. They'll be giving their speeches later tonight, luckily it's not mandatory viewing, I don't want to think of the Capital, ever. They're unfair, unjust, and should be overthrown. Of course I keep these thoughts to myself, if I didn't I'd be dead in a matter of seconds.

"Yea, they look nice don't they" I muse, I don't like them really. They're whole star-crossed lovers thing is annoying to me. And I guess I'll get this out there too, sometimes I feel Katniss replaced me. She's Gale's best friend now, not me. I hear Rory and Vick discussing something as we walk along but don't listen until I hear Rory shout "Go!"

What? Go? I'm confused until I see them going towards school at a dead sprint. Oh, a race! I'm not going to let some ten and twelve year old beat me am I? I take off after them; we do earn a few complaints from merchant people walking by mumbling about "stupid Seam kids" and even earn a couple "crazy rats".

I manage to overtake Rory but Vick beats me to the school. And he starts to rub it in my face as soon I as I stop, my dark hair covering my face, I forgot to braid it back this morning. I start to do this now as Vick continues to brag about how I'm so slow. When I'm done I put my hands on my hips.

"Yes because I've only beat _both _of you ninety-five percent of the time." It's a fact too; I would've won if I was ready. I push both of them towards the school. "Now go learn nothing." I tease them. Because that's what they'll learn, nothing. The conversation will somehow turn to coal again and that's what they'll talk about all day long. Rory sticks his tongue out at me as he goes in; I do the same to him.

I wave to my old teacher as she comes outside and then turn to make my way to the Hob. I feel the light weight of the few coins I have in my pocket, just enough for a week worth of firewood.

I shove the steel doors open to the Hob and I'm immediately warmed up by the warm air inside. I know mostly everyone here, since I come in every day, and a few call out greetings to me. I make my way over to Vinne, who sells firewood, and rest my elbow on the counter.

"I need wood" I say casually to him.

"How much darling?" he asks, ugh, I hate his nickname for me, well, most everyone calls me that here, but still, it's annoying.

"A week's worth." I grumble, making it clear I don't like what he called me.

"Twenty coins"

"I don't got twenty coins Vinne." I muse with him, because I don't, I only have sixteen.

"Well then you don't _got _enough money." He makes it clear he doesn't like my poor grammar skills.

"How about you cut me some slack since I'm your favorite customer?"

"You have eighteen coins?"

"How about I give you fifteen coins, and next time you call me darling I won't beat the guts outta ya?"

"You don't like it darling?" he jokes; I go and lightly slap him across the face.

"No, I don't and you and everyone here knows it."

"Fine then, you got a deal." He grins at me and I give him a smile back. I place the money on the counter before him.

"I'll pick it up after I get soup."

"Will do."

I make my way over to Sae and perch myself up on the counter. She laughs at me as she brings me a bowl of whatever she has today.

"Chairs are for sitting on Denver, not my counter."

I take a bite of the soup, it's good and warm, and it has some squirrel in it too. "I like the counter." I mumble with my mouth full.

"And I like _you_." I feel the arms go around my waist and I slap them away. It's Darius, as always. I put my bowl down and glare at him.

"You're fucking annoying you know that?" I joke with him. Darius isn't bad at all, his only downfalls are that he flirts with me all the time and is a peacekeeper, but other than that, he's a good guy. Always up for a good joke. He looks like a little kid with his messy red hairdo as he frowns at me.

"That hurts." He whines.

"Aw, poor baby." I imitate his tone

"A kiss would make it better." He raises his eyebrows at me.

"My mouth is preoccupied." I shove another spoonful of soup into my mouth, proving my point. Sae slides a bowl of soup into Darius's hands. "Go bother Haymitch or something." I grumble to him.

"I think I will." Darius smiles and goes off with his soup to find the other Victor from District Twelve, Haymitch Abernathy. He's a regular here too, and more often than not, drunk as a skunk.

"I want that bowl back!" Sae yells to Darius as she points her serving spoon after him. Darius just waves her off, which makes us both laugh.

I turn my head as I hear the doors open again. I tense when I see Brock walk in. He's always mean and nasty to everybody when he comes in. And now, he's drunk. This is not good. Brock being drunk always means someone getting in a fight, which doesn't go over well with anyone here, since everyone ends up betting on who is going to win. I take another bite of soup and watch as he staggers inside.

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I actually am really pleased with how it came out! Please review! I love reviews so so much! Here's a little story thing that happened to me yesterday too:**

**Okay so I was in the car with my mom and brother and my mom said that my brother's friends parents are coming over for dinner tomorrow night. And my brother is going away to with a different friend for vacation, so he'll be gone when their here. (my brother is two years older then me and the friend who's parents are coming over is well. *cough* hot *cough*. So then my mom asked if I wanted to see if he could come over with his parents, so it would just be me and him and our parents. I was like ugh ugh ummm no he probably has plans. Hahah so that was my awkward moment from yesterday **

**Hopefully I'll get the next chapter up, hmm maybe later tonight :D**


	2. Chapter 2: Sirens

**eYa for chapter two! Okay so I'm dunna (yep that's my word 'dunna' like going to) post some lyrics to whatever song I'm listening to when I start each chapter, cause I always have my iPod read and review!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games.**

"_Nothing on but the radio, feel the music playing soft and slow, you and me and the lights turned down low, with nothin' on but the radio" ~Gary Allan 'Nothing On But The Radio'_

As expected Brock punches the first guy out cold that crosses his path, for no apparent reason. This may get ugly soon, so I take it as my cue to get going. I gulp down the rest of my soup and hand Sae back the bowl and give her my coin.

"Tell me who wins later." I whisper to her, referring on the fight that will happen soon.

"Don't I always." Sae gives me a grin that I return before I go and pick up my firewood. Vinne is still there, which is good, because I need him to come with me so I can borrow a wheelbarrow. He reluctantly agrees to come with me, no extra charge, and we pile the wood into the wheelbarrow. We walk in silence to my house. Vinne pushes it all the way there, it's a pretty heavy load too, which of course he just dumps the wood down besides the house for me to stack on my own terms.

"Thanks for the help Vinne." I genuinely thank him.

"No problem _darling._" He teases, I'm about to punch him in the face when he ducks and then takes off down the road back to the Hob with his wheelbarrow. I'll get him next time.

I begin the long task of stacking the wood up against the house. One down part about my brother; everything has to be perfect. That includes my wood stacking skills. If it's the slightest bit sideways or off he'll have me start all over again, and he won't care if I do it in the dark. Brotherly love only goes so far.

An hour later my hands are frozen from the frigid air and my back is aching from constantly bending up and down with the wood. I take one log inside and toss it in the fireplace, then urge the flame into a full out fire. Our small house warms up quickly and soon I've regained feeling in my fingers and toes.

For the rest of the morning I busy myself with cleaning the house, trying to get the coal dust off of things. I make the two beds; Kline's and mine, then clean our bathtub. Maybe we can take a bath tonight; we haven't in a few days. No one takes one everyday though, besides, I'll have to either heat up the water or it'll be cold.

I'm surprised when there's a knock at my door; I go and open it to see Hazelle. I stand back and let her inside, Posy comes in behind her.

"Hi Hazelle, whats up?" I ask, not really sure why she's here.

"Can I ask you a question that's been bugging me for years?" she asks me, Posy looks interested now too. I shrug.

"Sure."

"What happened? To you and Gale?" she asks me. Oh, that. I go and sit down across from her at the table and sigh.

"I wish I knew. I guess it's just he grew up so fast. I mean, I tried still talking to him, but, it just wasn't the same anymore. We kinda just grew apart."

"Oh, I see, sorry if it's a strange question, but Posy here was asking why you're such good friends with us." She smiles at me.

"Mommy said you and Gale were best friends!" she announces happily. I laugh at her, but then my mouth falls to a sad frown.

"Ya, we were. But things change Pos. People change."

"You should talk to him sometime Denver, he might like that." Hazelle suggests to me. I nod, but I know I won't. He's had a million opportunities to talk to me. Every day he has. He could've helped me and Kline out when our father died, but he didn't, just watched us struggle for the first year, watched us almost starve. I know he saw me sit on my porch all day and just cry, but did he come over and give me any words of support or comfort. No. He didn't, and it's hard to forgive someone after that.

"Maybe" I lie, if we're ever going to start talking again, he'll be the first one to talk, not me. Hazelle and I talk for maybe an hour more, then I say I should be going down to town, I promised I would check on Haymitch's house for him. Which reminds me, I told Darius to go find Haymitch earlier, Haymitch is in District Eleven. I laugh to myself as I walk briskly down the street after Hazelle and Posy go back to their house.

It doesn't take long before I arrive at Victor's Village, I check the lock on the door, and it's locked. Good, my job is done here. Why did I even agree to this, it's just an annoying chore to do for a month? Right, I made the stupid mistake of drinking with Haymitch. I don't usually drink just maybe once a month or so. I'm not good with liquor, I have two drinks and I'm practically drunk.

I'm walking just by the schoolyard when they go off. The noise that everyone in District Twelve fears the most.

The sirens.

They blare through the District, there's been a mine accident. Before I can think I'm sprinting through the streets, my legs won't carry me fast enough to the mines. I pray that Kline is alright, I pray that Gale is alright. Memories of last time I did this flood my mind, I waited hours by the mines for my father, but he never came out.

I'm one of the first to arrive at the mines, I run right up to the ropes that have been put to hold back the crowd that will gather here. I fix my eyes on the shaft entrance. Some miners have come up already, covered head to toe in solid black coal dust. Coughing, some retching most keeled over, gasping for air.

I feel people take both of my hands, I look to see Vick on my right, Rory on my left, each have one of my hands in theirs. I pull them into a tight embrace. I tell them that everything will be alright, that Gale will come out. I imagine my life if Gale was gone now. I'd miss him, a lot. Even though we don't talk, the simple greeting we give each other each day has a lot of meaning to me.

But now I only think of my brother, the only thing I have left. So I stand as the crowd gathers, Vick and Rory by my sides as we watch the shaft go up and down, each time bringing up miners. Families run past the ropes as their sons, their husbands, their fathers emerge from the mine that has now become a mass grave. They embrace, they kiss, tears stream down their faces. Boyfriends propose to their girlfriends, grateful they have survived this brush with death.

Time loses its meaning as the sun starts to sink. As it gets colder. Someone puts a blanket around me and the boys. I catch a glimpse of Hazelle and Posy, each have horrified looks on their faces. Posy may be only five, but she knows what the sirens mean. That's one of the first things we learn in school. Sirens mean death.

It's almost dark when the shaft comes up again; about three hundred people still remain by the mines. I search through the miners who step off the shaft. My eyes lock on Gale's face, he's covered in black dust. Barely recognizable. He limps as he steps off, I watch as Posy runs past the ropes and into his arms. I let go of Vick and Rory and push them towards Gale.

"Go, be grateful." I tell them. Rory wraps his arms around me before he runs off.

"Kline will come out, I know he will." I just nod solemnly to him, and then he and his brother go under the ropes and run to Gale. I'd run to him too, but I'd lose my spot here, then I wouldn't be able to see the miners come up. I'm relieved Gale is alive, very relieved, and very grateful. But I need my brother to come up next.

The minutes after Gale came up soon turns to hours, it's dark now, my body is stiff and frozen as I wait with about fifty people as the mines slowly go up, stay down for almost twenty minutes, then come up with miners, who are severely hurt, or dead. I press my hands harder on the mug someone handed me a while ago, it was hot then, now it's ice cold.

I feel arms go around me and I lean into whoever it is. I don't care who it is, the comfort helps me now, when I feel like I'm slowly being ripped apart. I look and see Darius, I manage a forced grin at him, he smiles at me.

"He'll come up, just wait, he will." He assures me, his joking is all gone now, he knows now is not the time for jokes. I just nod, because the chances of Kline coming out now alive are highly unlikely. Darius stays with me for half an hour, and then he leaves me alone again.

Just when I've about given up all hope, the shaft raises again to the surface, I see Kline and dash forwards as he stumbles out of the shaft. He slips on the snow, but I reach him in time to catch him. We both fall to the ground under the lamp light, I hold him in my arms as he lies on the ground, his breathing shallow. With each breath I can see the black powder that comes out with it. I wrap my arms around my brother and put my chin on his shoulder, just like I did this morning.

"I love you Denver" he chokes out to me, his voice is barely audible.

"Love you too Kline, forever." I let the tears run down my cheeks, because, while none of us will say it, we both know he's dying. No one interrupts us either, they just watch. After a few moments I turn and call out to a nearby man.

"Can you carry him to our house," I have to swallow the lump in the throat before I continue, "I, I want him to be there when,"

"Of course" the man interrupts me so I don't have to finish my sentence. He gently picks up Kline and I lead him to our house. I sit on the hearth by the fire and the man puts my brother in my lap. My fire still burns strong.

I gently stroke Kline's face, like our mother used to do.

"You need to find a job, anything that pays, anything but Cray." He chokes out instructions to me. I nod, I would rather die than loose myself to Cray. "And ration food well and keep yourself warm, stay alive." He tells me more.

"I know you don't need to worry. I love you Kline." I tell him again. He smiles up at me, his breathing is very shallow now, his heartbeat is irregular and slow.

"I love you too Denver, forever."

I wrap my arms around him tighter and lean down so my head rests on his chest; he rests his chin on my head. And then I listen to my brother's heartbeat as it gets slower, and fainter, and then it stops completely. I let the tears stream down and cover my face, because now I'm alone. Now I don't have anyone left.

**Hope you.. I'm not going to say enjoyed, because her brother died along with a lot of others, its not really something enjoyable.. I hope you liked that chapter. Please review, next chapter will be up soon. **


	3. Chapter 3: Comfort

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games.**

_Throw sticks and stones, but you're not gunna break my soul. ~Part of Me, Katy Perry._

I wake up early the next morning, I'm actually happy for a moment with the sun coming through the broken window onto my face. Then I see my dead brother still in my arms, and I burst into tears again. Loneliness. That's what I mainly feel. It's mixed in with the anger, the depression, and the emptiness. I'm alone now, in my life, I have no family left. I don't get up; because I don't want to let go of my brother, and I don't have any reason to get up. I don't have any reason to do anything anymore. No, I do actually. Because I promised him I'd stay alive.

So I'll just stay here for a few days, maybe. I get out from under my dead brother and go and stand in the kitchen. I just stare at the stale bread on the counter, I don't want it. So I just stand there, staring at Kline's body sitting by the dying fire.

I don't move from that spot all day long. I can't move. I can't get my eyes off of my brother, who's gone. Tomorrow he will be buried, I'll do that tomorrow. Take him down for a proper burial. Tears roll down my face as I think I'll never see his face again. I don't even look when someone knocks on the door. I don't make a sound, but they come in anyways.

"Denver I was wondering if-" Hazelle cuts off her sentence when she sees me. She walks over slowly. "Are you alright?" she asks, her voice chokes a little from tears she's holding back. I gently shake my head; she follows my gaze and lets the tears roll down her own face. Then her arms are around me, comforting me, and I just stand stiff.

After a while she stands back, "Do you want me to get Levy?" she asks. Levy, the man who buries the dead here in District Twelve. I guess today would be as hard as tomorrow, so I just nod. Once she's gone I force my limbs to go and sit by my brother. I stroke his face gently until Levy arrives, with two other men who work under him. Hazelle and Vick and Rory stand with me as they put Kline on the board.

"You coming to see him buried?" Levy asks in his husk voice. I shake my head solemnly; I don't want to see Kline lowered into the ground. I just go and plant one last kiss on my brother's forehead, then; I put three fingers to my lips and extend them to him. My final goodbye. Tears don't roll down my face as I watch my brother go away from me; I'll never see him again after that.

Hazelle doesn't waste time and instructs her two youngest boys to rebuild my fire for me as she boils water and makes me some tea. Vick and Rory give me a hug before they go back to their house; Hazelle stays with me until I've drank all my tea and eaten two slices of bread. Then I'm alone again. I somehow make my way to bed and manage to fall asleep.

;;;;::::;;;;

I wake the next day and don't get out of bed, but my brain works faster than it did yesterday. I lay in bed for a few hours before there's knocking on my door. I don't answer, I don't say a word. I don't even get up when I hear the heavy footsteps going around my house in the other room, but I notice the house gets warmer. They must have built up my fire for me. I guess I better go thank them; I slowly drag myself out of bed. I don't need to change, I didn't put on pajamas.

I stop in the doorway and stare at the person who stands in my house, heating up water in the kitchen. Gale. He turns around and stops when he sees me, I just stare at him. Why is he here? Why is he helping me out? He gives me a sympathetic grin, his eyes sad. I give him the greeting I've given him every morning for six years, but without the words. Just a slight raise of my hand. He returns it like he has every single day.

"Good morning"

I just nod, not wanting to say words, not finding the strength to say words. Maybe later I'll talk, but not right now.

"My mom told me what happened. I'm really sorry; he was a great guy Denver. The mines are closed for the rest of the week so I figured I'd come and help you out." Gale explains to me. I'm surprised he remembers my name after all this time. I honestly consider telling him to get out, that I don't need his pity after being ignored for years. But I don't, because I do appreciate that he's talking to me again.

I do manage a weak smile at him and then go and sit at the table. I put my elbows on the table, something that always annoyed Kline, and my chin in my hands and stare out the window. _Don't stay like this all day. Don't stay like this all day. _I remind myself over and over, I don't want to completely shut down. That would mean death. Maybe I'll go out to the Hob when Gale leaves. But for now, I sip slowly on the tea he hands me.

Gale sits across from me and watches me with sad eyes. After about an hour I muster up the will to talk.

"I'm glad you're alright." I say softly. He doesn't smile but seems happy that I'm talking.

"Thanks, though I feel bad, so many didn't get out." His gaze shifts down to the table, away from my face. I guess he's expecting me to say he should, or he deserves it. But I don't say that, I say the opposite.

"You shouldn't. You deserve to live. I'm not mad at any survivors. I'm mad at the Capital, because it's their fault." It is their fault, mine accidents shouldn't happen. Not if the proper safety precautions are taken. But we're just the people of District Twelve; they don't care if some of us die on their behalf.

"Everything's their fault." Gale actually growls out between his teeth. There's a fire in his eyes, blazing hatred towards the Capital. A fire that I've seen in my own eyes before. A fire that could start a rebellion.

"Of course it is, my whole family, our families, could all be alive if it weren't for them." There's now a harsh snap in my voice.

"Yea, it's all them." Gale tries to calm himself. I try to calm myself, which doesn't take long when I think of how Kline would scold me for voicing what I think. It's not safe too, especially if we are overheard. We sit in more silence and my mind drifts to work. I need to get a job. No merchants hire Seam kids as employees. Cray is not an option, I'd never do that. I don't want to be a teacher. I can't really sell anything. That leaves one thing. The mines. I could go work underground, into the death trap that's now claimed the lives of two of my family members. But I can work with a pick axe, I know that, and I'm not really scared of anything happening. I guess I'll see if I can do that.

I look up at Gale again. "Will you do me a favor?" I ask him.

"Sure" he shrugs.

"Can you come down to the mines with me?" I really don't want to go talk to the foreman by myself. In answer Gale stands up and pushes his chair back. I get up too and he holds the door open for me, I actually laugh a little.

"What?"

"Nothing, you used to always just slam the door in my face on purpose. I guess I was expecting that again." I shake my head at the memory.

"Yea, when I was six I did; now we're nineteen Den." Gale rolls his eyes.

"I miss it when we were six." Gale stiffens and just gives me a grunt. I steal a glance at his face; he seems to be thinking back to then.

Gale and I walk down the road next to each other towards the mines. We get some glances as we walk, people know our history, people know my brother just died. Gale follows me into the foreman's office when we arrive at the mines. I tap on the desk to get the attention of the lady behind it.

"Yes?" she asks.

"I came to speak with the foreman." I say curtly. The lady gives me a look, then glances at Gale behind me. She nods.

"I'll tell him you're here." She dismisses herself and disappears into another room. I feel Gale's breath on my neck before he whispers in my ear.

"What are you doing?"

I turn and look him in the eyes. "I'm getting a job."

**Next chapter we have the job "interview". Please review! The more reviews I get the faster the updates will come! Promise!**

_So baby why don't we just dance? ~Why don't we just dance, Josh Turner._


	4. Chapter 4: Snap

**Thanks for all the alerts, favorites, reviews, ext! I love them all! Sadly I may only be able to get two more chapters up after this one. I'm going skiing for a few days and won't be able to update *gasp* I bet I'll go through withdrawal. But we get back Friday so I'll update then :) So, without further ado, here's Chapter Four: doesn't have a name yet since I write this part before I start the chapter! **

_Life don't go, quiet like you planned. ~It Happens, Sugarland_

"You're what!" Gale demands.

"Getting a job." I say nonchalantly.

"You can't work in the mines"

"And you can't tell me what to do after you've just decided to start talking to me again after ignoring me for six years." That shuts him up, and the fact that the lady tells us to go in. I'm surprised when Gale walks in with me. The foreman sits behind his desk, boots on top of it.

"So?" he asks me.

"I need a job, I can do hard work and use a pick axe. I need the money." I get to the point.

"No." he doesn't miss a beat with his response, doesn't even think about it.

"Why not?" I growl.

"You got a dick?" he asks raising his eyebrows.

"No"

"Exactly." I hear Gale make some noise, clearly agreeing with his boss. I turn and glare at him, then turn my attention to the foreman. I slam my fist down on his desk and stare daggers at him.

"Listen to me! I don't give a shit if I'm a girl. I know what I am, and I know what I can do! I can do this work! I need work and personally I'm not gunna sell myself to Cray, cause I'm not that type of girl! I've lost two family members now to the mines, I know it's hard, I know it's dangerous, but I don't care. I need the food, I need the work, and I know you have open slots to fill. So why don't you give me a fucking chance and let me surprise that thing you call your face?" I lash out at him with my words. The foreman takes his feet off the desk and stands up. I glare at him while he circles me, he lifts my arm to inspect me. "I'm not a fucking dog" I spit out at him.

"You've got spirit, I'll give you that much."

"What else will you give me?" I grin at him. He goes over behind his desk and picks something up, with a heave of his arm he tosses it at me. I react quickly and catch it. It's a pickaxe.

"A job, you start when we open again. You're on the same crew as Hawthorne. And don't cause any trouble, got it?"

I grin at him. "Got it."

After leaving the foreman's office I have to fill out some paperwork with the secretary. She eyes me over as I fill it out until I tell her to mind her own shitty business. She seems insulted by this, but I don't really care, I'm not known for being ladylike.

Gale snaps at me right when we're outside.

"Why do you want to work in the mines? It'll be way too hard for you!" I ignore him and keep walking, he keeps on ranting though. "I mean you could go be a teacher or whatever. Girls don't work in the mines, everyone will pick on you. Especially Dalton and Lucas." Gale lets out a huff. He keeps following me though, and he starts up again right before we get to the doors of the Hob. "You won't be able to handle it; the labor, the teasing, the-" I cut off his rant when I slap him clear across the face.

"Shut up! So what if I can't handle it! I'll deal with it!" I advance closer to him, still fuming; I can feel my face burning. Gale backs up slowly away from me. "Anyways you!" I give him a shove in the chest, "You've been ignoring me for the past six years! And I don't even know why! I tried to help you, I tried to comfort you and still be best friends! But no! Apparently I meant nothing to you! Since you just went out and replaced me right away! I've been looking out for you still though! I bet you don't even know that!" Gale is looking down at his boots, refusing to look me in the eyes. "You know I walk your brothers to school every day? You know I play with Posy almost every day while you're at the mines? You know when I heard girls talking about going to bug you I told them that you wouldn't give a fuck in hell because I knew you wouldn't? You know I'd defend you if I heard some other guys talking crap about you? You know every single day I hoped that maybe you'd say more than two words to me? No, I bet you didn't! And you don't know me Gale Hawthorne! Because I've lost both of my parents, now I've lost everybody! You don't know how much I had to grow up when my father died, you don't know, wait, no, you _do _know how we almost starved to death. But you didn't do anything! I'm not that little girl you used to play with in the meadow with anymore! She's long gone. So don't you treat me like I'm still her, cause she died with her father in the mines."

That fire that I saw earlier in Gale's eyes, I know it's in my own now. But I feel like a weight has been taken off my shoulders finally getting that all out for him to hear, because it's all true. And Gale knows it. He looks up slowly at me, his eyes sad, good, they should be. He studies my face for a while. I turn on my heel away from him, I'm about to push the doors to the Hob open when I feel him catch my wrist. I whirl around at him.

"What!" I demand, still furious at him, I don't even give him a chance to talk before I discover something else to rant on. "Yes, I'm going in the Hob, I've been going in here for six years now! I always go here, so relax, I can handle myself fine." His grip tightens on my wrist and I stare down at it. Seeing him touching me calms me for some reason, I don't know why, but it does, and now I feel sorry about my last comment. "Sorry" I mumble.

"No, you're right. I'm sorry, for everything. Maybe we can get to know each other again." He offers.

"Okay, let's get some soup first." I agree, he nods and let's go of my wrist. I push the steel doors open and I'm greeted by the warm air, it contrasts highly with the freezing air outside.

Gale takes a seat on the stool by Greasy Sae as I take my usual spot on the counter. He gives me a quizzical look, but I just shrug.

"I always sit here."

"She does, always messes up my counter." Sae laughs as she comes over and hands us each a bowl. I take a coin out of my pocket and slide it to her. Sae pushes it back. "No, this one's on the house, for both of you." She gives me a sympathetic smile.

"Thanks."

I'm halfway done with my wild dog soup when I feel the arms go around me; I smack them away like I do every day. Darius.

"You cheating on me beautiful?" he croons, eyeing Gale.

"I'm happy to say no, because there's nothing between us Darius." I can't help the grin that spreads across my face. The events of the day have let me be a little less depressed about Kline's death.

"So there's something between you and hunter boy?" he asks, this gets everyone else's attention too.

"No!" Gale and I answer in unison. Darius and Sae laugh at us.

"Just give them some time." Darius laughs as Sae gives him a bowl of soup. This makes my face go red, so I turn my attention back to my soup. There is nothing going on between Gale and I. We're just trying to be friends again, that's it. Sure I wouldn't mind if I dated him or something, but we're only trying to be friends again.

;;;;::::;;;;;

I sit on the hearth in my house that night. Gale looks at the pictures on a shelf; he stops and picks one up.

"Is this?" he asks holding it out for me to see.

It shows two little kids; a boy and a girl, the boy has his arms around the girl as she laughs in his arms. The boy is looking at the camera, a wide grin on his face. You can barely see the girl's face since it's hidden in the boy's shirt.

"Yea, that's us."

Gale stares at the picture for a while, studying. I decide to break the silence though.

"Why'd you do it?" I ask sadly, starring into the fire he made for me.

"Do what?" he asks, I can feel his gaze on me.

"Why'd you leave me?"

Instantly I feel tension fill the air.

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter! The next chapter might be in Gale's POV. I hope I'm doing Gale okay; I kept going back and changing things because I made Gale do things he wouldn't. I really don't want to change the character, I want to have Gale have reactions that he really would have. For example, when he grabs her wrist. First I had him grab her hand, but he wouldn't do that. I thought he'd think that would be weird so he just grabs her wrist instead, he still has Katniss on his mind. That **_**might**___**change though. Please review!**


	5. Chapter 5: Day One

**Note to all authors: If you have writer's block, don't just stare at the computer for four hours…you'll get major headaches later. **

_Or hide from a lie, I hate to turn outta the blue uninvited. ~Someone Like You, Adele_

I continue to stare into the flames and wait for his answer, for an explanation.

"I don't know." He finally tells me. Lies. I can tell he's lying.

"So I don't even earn the truth from you? There's a reason, tell me." I press him. He sighs.

"I was busy, learning, going in the woods. I didn't want to bother you with that; I didn't want you to get hurt."

"So after that, the past four years, why did you still stay away?"

"Honestly, I don't know, I just, didn't think you'd want to hang out with me anymore." I turn to look at him now.

"Not hang out with you anymore? Every day I wished that maybe you'd come talk to me again. That maybe I really hadn't just been replaced that quickly. I guess I had been." I can't help it when my voice cracks.

"Replaced?" he asks, clearly confused.

"Nothing, it's stupid." I snap back turning my attention back to the fire.

"No, tell me."

"You'll say it's dumb."

"Promise I won't."

I sigh before I tell him, "I feel like you replaced me with Katniss."

Silence. That's his response, and I'm perfectly fine with it.

"It's getting late, you should get home." I finally tell Gale without looking at him.

"Ya, I, I'll see you around."

"Yea, tell the kids I say hi"

"Will do."

;;;:::;;;;

-Gale:

"I feel like you replaced me with Katniss." She tells me, not looking me in the eyes. I feel my stomach fall with guilt. I never thought she might have felt that way. I stare down at the picture in my hands. I remember when it was taken too, we were eleven.

*Flashback*

"Gale!" Denver shrieks as I chase her through the meadow. I'm closing the gap between us.

Finally I catch her and tackle her to the ground; we both fall into the fresh spring grass with a huff. I keep my arms around her as she rolls and tries to get me off of her.

"This is so not fair!" She complains to me when she finally just gives up. She lays on her stomach and I lay on top of her. I twirled her hair around my finger.

"Your pretty you know that?" I tell her, this makes her try to look up at me.

"Thanks, you're not bad yourself." She tells me, it makes me smile.

"Gale! Get off of her!" I look up at my mother's voice. I sigh and roll off of Denver, then I catch sight of Denver's father with a camera. Crap. "And both of you come over here, we want a picture."

"Do we have too?" Denver groans next to me.

"Yes you do." My father says as he appears next to my mother. I always listen to my dad, so I get up and take Denver's hand.

"Common' the sooner we do the sooner it's over." She nods and lets me help her up, I don't let go of her hand as we walk over. We stop in front of our parents, well my parents and her father. We are instructed to smile, I put my arm around her shoulders and smile for the camera, she does the same.

"God Gale you act like you're married to her." Denver's brother Kline calls over from his group of friends he's playing with.

"I may be someday." I point out to him, then for good measure kiss her on the cheek, there's a flash right when I do and our parents laugh at how cute that will be.

"Young love." My mother croons. Denver's face goes red as she bursts out laughing; I wrap my arms around her and grin widely at the camera. Denver hides her face in my shirt as the camera goes off again.

*Flashback end*

"It's getting late, you should get home." She tells me finally without looking from the fire.

"Ya, I, I'll see you around."

"Yea, tell the kids I say hi"

"Will do." I go and head out the door; I jog over to my house, its dark now and freezing cold since I don't have any gloves. I stomp the snow off my boots once I get inside and place them by the door alongside my siblings.

"Gale?" My mom calls from the kitchen.

"Ya, it's me." I answer as I scoop up Posy as she runs to me. "How was your day Pos?" I croon to her.

"Fun! I played with Vick all day!" she claps in my arms.

"I bet he just _loved _that." I laugh and give a pointed look to my brother, who looks exhausted on the couch. I put Posy down and go sit on a chair in front of the kitchen, I watch my mother as she finishes a load of laundry for someone.

"How's Denver doing?" she asks me worriedly.

"She's okay, I got her talking again. She got a job too" I don't hide my dislike at the last part of my sentence, this makes my mom put down a shirt and give me her full attention.

"She didn't go see Cray did she?" she asks horrified. I shake my head.

"Oh, no, she got a job at the mines."

"Ah, that's great, what does she do?" My mom clearly doesn't think that I mean actually mining the coal, she thinks maybe as a secretary or role call or something like that.

"She's going to mine. She's on the same crew as me too."

"Oh" is all she says, then her attention is turned back to the clothes.

I go back over to my siblings who all ask how Denver is. I tell them she's getting better and say she told me to tell them hi.

;;;:::;;;

-Denver:

A week later I change into a simple button down shirt and work jeans. I grab Kline's old pickaxe and hardhat and step outside to go to work. I don't even glance towards the Hawthorne's. Gale and I have been spending a lot of time together, but he snapped at me again yesterday about being a girl and working in the mines and I still haven't forgiven him for it. I glance down at the lunch I made myself, just a sandwich of bread and peanut butter. I packed a canteen of water too. I'm not a big eater; I'm used to being hungry, very hungry.

I pretend not to hear the footfalls catching up to me as I walk, I know who it is. When he catches up with me he just falls in sync with me and we walk together to the mines. We arrive in silence and I get many pointed looks from the other miners who are waiting for the whistle to announce the day's work to begin.

I easily find my brother's old space for keeping his jacket. It has Rowsell written above it in Kline's neat handwriting. I take off my jacket and shove it in, the cold air is freezing against my bare arms, but I ignore it and walk over to where Gale is standing with a group of guys by a shaft, they must be my crew.

I walk over and immediately all conversation among them stops. They just stare at me, quizzical looks upon their faces. It pisses me off.

"Ya I'm in your crew, ya I'm a girl let's just make sure we all know that. And I don't give a crap on whether you think I should be here or not. I'm here and there's nothing you can do about it."

No one says anything; they stare at me wide eyed. Finally a wide grin spreads across one of the men.

"I'll voice my thoughts you little bitch whenever I want, you shouldn't be here." He laughs out at me. I take my pickaxe and slam the side of it against the man's throat; I push up on his jaw with it.

"How about you watch your tongue before I chisel it out for ya?" I growl at him I let a stupid grin come across my face.

"You could've gone to Cray. I mean, you'd get good pay." Another man, closer to my age, speaks up as he runs his eyes over my body. I lower my pickaxe from the man's throat and turn on my most recent speaker.

"I don't want to go to Cray. Cause I'm not a slut, no matter how much I need the money. But thanks for the compliment." I don't threaten him with the pickaxe; I let it hang loosely by my side.

"Leave her alone, if she can work then she's fine, don't matter what sex she is." I nod my thanks to an older man; he must be at least fifty.

The whistle sounds and we file into the elevator that will take us down into the earth. I put my lunch pail in the same hand as my axe when the world goes black. I switch my headlamp on and sadly am met with Gale's eyes. I narrow mine at him. The elevator soon screeches to a halt and I follow my crew outside and through the tunnel until they stop and put their lunches down, I put mine with them.

Minutes later I'm striking away at the black wall next to my mining partner, who, surprise surprise, is Gale. We work away at the wall, each time my pickaxe connects with the wall coal breaks off, a good amount too. It's not as much that comes off from where Gale hits the wall, but it's close. Back, strike, back, strike. The motion is repetitive and soon it falls into rhythm. Once there's a good amount at my feet I gather the coal into a bucket. I barely manage to lift the heavy load and then dump it in the mine car. Once that's done I return to the wall. Back, strike, back, strike. Soon my muscles ache and protest every moment I command them to do.

I almost let out a shout of joy when we're told we have ten minutes for lunch. I walk with the rest of my crew down to our lunches and take out mine. I slowly sip the water, quenching my parched throat that had been screaming for water. I let my back slide down the wall as I sit on the cold floor with my crew.

"You're not a bad worker girly" the man who called me a bitch earlier today praises me. He offers me his hand since I'm sitting right next to him. "I'm Dalton." I take his hand and shake it.

"Denver"

"Okay, since it looks like you may actually stay I'll introduce the crew. This is Lucas." He motions to the boy next to him, the one who said I could go to Cray. They both look like classic Seam boys. "Then there's Drew." The next man down raises his hand in greeting; he looks about thirty and has pale skin and soft red hair. "You've spoken with Gary" The man who defended me gives me a smile; I notice now how his hair is already gray, turning white. "Then Ron and Andrew" Ron sits beside Gale, he's a merchant boy, I can tell by his blond hair and blue eyes. On the other side of Ron is Andrew, light brown hair that's gives off a shaggy look, it makes him look to be in his sixty's but he must only be in his forty's. "Oh, and Gale, but you know him." Dalton shrugs.

"Nice to meet you all." I say as I bite down on my sandwich. A stale sandwich never tasted so good. I almost don't notice when Gale holds something out for me.

"This is from Posy." He explains as I take it. I put my sandwich in one hand and open the note. A smile appears on my face as I see a little drawing of two stick figures holding pickaxes. Gale and Denver is written in Posy's sloppy handwriting above each one. Below it Posy wrote me another message. 'Tak care of Gale fo me Denver' I let a small chuckle escape my lips.

"What is it? A love note?" Dalton teases, elbowing me in the side a little.

"No, here, I want it back though." I inform Dalton as I hand him the note from Posy.

Dalton bursts out laughing at the little drawing. "Posy is five, right Gale?" he asks.

"Yeah"

The note gets passed around to everyone; from Dalton, to Lucas, to Drew, to Gary, to Andrew, to Ron, and then to Gale.

"Ya, make sure he doesn't stab himself with his axe girly" Ron chuckles.

Even Gale smiles at the drawing before he hands it back to me, I tuck it away in my lunch pail and make a mental note to thank Posy later for it. She'll get upset if I forget about it. After I finish my sandwich and then drink almost all of my water, leaving a little left for the walk home.

Then it's back to work. Back, strike, back, strike, back, strike, fill your bucket, dump your bucket, back, strike, back, strike, fill your bucket, dump your bucket, back, strike, back, strike. Over and over and over again I repeat the process. As the hours slowly tick by the rhythm of my work is off. Longer pauses, a longer walk to the mine car, less coal comes down with each collision of steel and coal. Each movement swing sends pain shooting down my spine and shoulder area. I can feel every muscle retract and extend with the effort. But I hang on till the end, when an overseer calls down to fill our buckets one last time.

After I empty my bucket into the car I take my place behind it alongside Gale, Dalton, and Lucas. Slowly we push the car up the tracks towards the shaft that will bring it, along with us, back up to the world above.

I almost kiss the ground when we finally make it into the open air and are done for the day. I take my water and gulp the rest of it down. Big mistake. I feel it as soon as the water reaches my stomach and I barely make it behind an office building when the water comes back the same way it went down. I lean against the building after, what I'm sure to be, all the water I had in my system comes back up. I welcome to cold, crisp air on my sweat covered skin. It keeps me wide awake for now, but soon I'll feel frozen because of it. I can feel the heat that radiates off of my body.

"You okay?" I hear a voice ask. I turn my head and see Drew standing there, all ready to go home, his pickaxe propped over his shoulder.

"Yeah," I lie; he eyes the puddle in front of me. "Naw, I drank too fast." A grin appears on his old wrinkled face.

"Happens to all of us at least once." He assures me, good, that's encouraging to hear. I wait a few minutes until after Drew has left to go and get my jacket. I grab it and sling it over my shoulder and let the pickaxe rest on it. The air still feels good on my skin.

I wince when there's a hard slap on my shoulders. "Good job girly, how ya feel?" It's Lucas.

"Terrible," I moan as I force myself to start walking towards home.

"That's great, you'll build muscle soon. Then you'll be even more irresistible." He raises his eyebrows at me and I roll my eyes.

"God I'd rather deal with Darius."

"Oh burn Luc, that's saying something there." I hear Gale chuckle, wow, I've never heard him this, happy, before. Lucas rolls his eyes at us.

"Fine, go walk your little girlfriend home."

"She's _not _my girlfriend!" Gale points out again.

"We live across from each other; I have to walk with him." I add on to prove our point that we're not dating, which everyone seems to be keen on convincing themselves that we are.

"I'm not a bad walking partner either. Am I?" Gale looks down and asks me. I make a face and pretend to think this over very carefully, Lucas starts to laugh.

"Naw, you're not too bad."

**Omg while I was writing this I had just came up from dinner and then I heard Rue's whistle from the TV downstairs and I screamed "It's the Hunger Games!" So, sadly I leave for some place in the morning and I won't be updating till Friday But there should be one right when I get the chance since I'll write at least one chapter while I'm there. Hope you enjoyed! And remember, reviews = faster updates when possible!**


	6. Chapter 6: Syrup

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games.**

**Enjoy the chapter! I think you'll like the ending *hint hint***

_Another summer day, has come and gone away in Paris and Rome, but I want to go home. Maybe surrounded by, a million people I, still feel all alone, I want to go home. ~Home, Blake Shelton 3_

"Happy week anniversary" Gale smirks at me when he meets me outside my house for our walk to work. We've been walking to and from work together every day.

"Thanks" I chuckle as I look up at him. Everyone on the crew has been saying they're surprised I've lasted this long. Work isn't as hard anymore though. Lucas was right about gaining muscle, and my hands have adjusted too. Which is annoying, somewhat, because Lucas is always hitting on me now too.

Another thing that I've realized is how much I enjoy Gale's company. I guess it's because there's no one at my house, but I always look forward to seeing him in the mornings. I actually caught myself thinking of him at night too. Wondering what he's doing right now, if he had enough to eat. I actually care about him since I don't have any family anymore. I guess I've always cared about him, the boy who was my best friend.

"So, are you excited for the harvest festival on Friday?" I ask as I look up at him. His face goes hard for a moment.

"I don't think I'm going" he says gruffly, I can't help the disappointment I feel to his answer. He should go; it'll be fun for everybody.

"Why?" I press him, wanting an explanation.

"Cause" he says gruffly. Wonderful. Another thing I've remembered is that if Gale really doesn't want to tell you something, it's pretty damn hard to get him too. I kinda hoped that had changed about him. So I just sigh as I go and put my jacket in its place at the mines, since we've arrived there now.

As I walk over to my crew I notice a new man standing among them. He's a bit shorter than Gale, but just as big. He's not Seam, his blond hair gives that away, but he's not  
>merchant either, gray eyes.<p>

"Who's this?" I ask as I walk up.

"His names Trip baby" Lucas explains to me a smirk on his face, "we have to use explosives today and he's the one to do them." I just nod and file into the shaft as the whistle blows. I don't like Trip, he keeps to himself, didn't even greet me, and is pushy, I can tell that by the shove he gives me from behind.

Minutes later we're swinging our pick axes. There's little talk between us, like always, only the canary singing away, but it's just strange with Trip here too. He is a bit farther down hooking up something that will blow the wall. I find myself occasionally glancing down to see what he's doing. I've never seen someone used explosives in the mine before.

Just before lunch he calls for us to stop so he can blow the wall. I take off my hardhat and put it under my arm as we all stand back while he pushes down on a lever a few feet ahead of us. I cover my ears at the massive boom that fills and echoes around us. Coal dust billows everywhere, but when it settles, I can see the five feet of wall Trip blew through. It would take a miner more than a week to do that. Everyone around me turns and walks off for lunch. I stay back a little then follow from behind after Trip has gotten up and is making his way towards me.

My foot catches on something and I stumble forward, I stop before I fall though.

"Move it shorty" I hear Trip growl at me, I take a few steps when I'm shoved forward. I stumble again and fall, my head slams against the stone hard wall and I fall to the floor, my head crashes against that too. "Told ya" Trips snaps stepping over me. My hands go up and I clutch my head, the world seems to be spinning and vibrating.

I regret taking off my hardhat now. Everything goes black for a moment before they come back spinning still. I let out a loud groan and then I hear feet running towards me.

"Denver? Denver you okay?" I hear Gary ask me first. I groan and if I could, I'd have rolled my eyes.

"Do I look okay?" I grumble I take my hands away from my head and see they're red from my blood. Great.

"I guess not" he mumbles again. Everyone from my crew is around me now, mumbling suggestions on what to do. Just let me rest? Let me sit out the rest of work? Do nothing at all? After about five minutes of this it's Gale who finally just snaps.

"How about I just take her home? Clearly she needs to be bandaged up I'll take her to Mrs. Everdeen." he almost yells at everyone.

"Okay" they agree with him.

My vision has cleared and I see hand offered out to me. I don't know who it belongs too but I take it, I think it's Lucas. Whoever it is helps me to my feet and I use them to steady myself.

"Okay, Gale you get the rest of the day off too then, make sure she gets some help." Gary shrugs at Gale, who stands behind me. I feel his hands go on my shoulders as he guides me towards the shaft. I let my hand that's not against the wall go up to my head, which throbs with each step. Halfway to the shaft I stop so my head can clear.

"You okay?" Gale asks worriedly.

"No"

"Here, how about I carry you then?" he offers, I stare at him, can he even pick me up? He seems to read my mind, "Common you can't weigh more than a coal cart." true, very true. I nod and soon Gale is carrying me bridal style the rest of the way to the shaft. I let my head roll back and rest on Gales shoulder. I can think a little better since its resting on something, but I can't piece together my jumbled memories of the past ten minutes to remember what happened.

He doesn't put me down when we reach the surface. He explains to the foreman what happened and were both excused for the rest of the day. I'm carried through the square, which earns many glances and stares. We have to pass the schoolyard to get to Victors Village, where Katniss and her family live. As we pass I see from behind Gale's neck that the kids are out playing on break. Before I know it I faintly hear Vick and Rory.

"Gale! What's wrong?" I hear Rory shout over, we turn as Gale makes his way over.

"She hit her head pretty hard; I'm taking her to Katniss's mom." Gale explains.

"Will she be okay?"

"I'll be fine." I laugh lightly but stop as it makes my head throb.

"Go back to your friends, you can see her later." Gale tells his brothers, they nod and go run off. "You okay?" Gale asks me again.

"Kinda" I admit, I don't feel too bad. We're almost to the house when my stomach contorts. "Put me down now!" I say quickly.

"What?"

"unless you want vomit on you put me down!" by the time I say vomit I'm put on my feet. I go over to the side and begin to retch. Gale holds my hair back for me.

"I'm glad I put you down." he chuckles.

In response I throw up again and again, and again. After I stand and take deep breaths. "I think I'm good" I gasp.

"Okay, can you walk now?" he asks. I take a few steps before the world is spinning again and it causes me to throw up again. "I take that as a no"

"Do you, smartass?" I taunt him; he cracks a grin at me.

Minutes later Gale is knocking on the Everdeens door, he's carrying me again. A middle aged woman with blond hair opens the door.

"Gale?" she asks clearly surprised. "Who's this?" clearly surprised to see me.

"A friend, she hit her head pretty hard on the wall in the mines. She can't walk really, makes her head hurt. She was throwing up a lot too." he explains quickly. The lady quickly goes into nurse mode.

"Bring her in; she can sit on the couch."

I'm brought inside and Gale puts me down on the couch. The lady, she must be Mrs. Everdeen, comes over and begins to check my head. I help her out and point to a spot where the blood had come off. She makes a strange noise when she sees it.

"Gale, get some water, we need to get the coal dust out of it."

Every time they put water on my head it stings, it burns, and I find myself gritting my teeth together. After Mrs. Everdeen deems it clean they bandage it up. My head feels like there's a coal mine on the inside and miners are trying to chisel their way out by the end. I grit my teeth through the pain, but some tears do slip out of my eyes.

"You okay dear?" Mrs. Everdeen asks.

"My head is killing me."

"oh, well, I think you've had a concussion, do you remember what happened?" she asks.

"No, I just want to rest" I choke out.

"Okay, I have an idea." she goes off towards the kitchen, I look over at Gale, he's sitting in a leather armchair a few feet away.

"Thanks Gale" my words snap him out of a daydream.

"What?" he asks confused.

"I said thanks, for helping me" I explain for him.

"Oh, it was nothing, I'm kinda glad, I got off work early now" he shrugs. Mrs. Everdeen comes back holding a little glass flask. I eye it carefully as she holds it out to me.

"Sleep syrup" she explains.

"Oh" is all I say as I take it, sleeping doesn't sound too bad right now. I'd be asleep if it weren't for my head, this stuff will help me with that. I've never had the stuff. I know it jumbles your thoughts so you don't know what you're really thinking, or saying for that matter. Whatever, I want to sleep so much, anything to make the miners on the inside of my head go away.

"Gale, you can bring her up to the extra room, there's a chair in there too if you want to stay with her." I hear the lady explain as I drink the sweet liquid from the flask. I don't hear Gales answer, but I guess he said okay since he comes over and picks me up again. My mind feels cloudy from the medicine. I can't think strait, everything just feels, fuzzy.

Gale puts me down on a bed. He strokes the hair out of my face gently. "Sleep" he tells me softly, he rises to go sit down or something but I take his hand, he turns back to me.

"Yeah?"

"Stay here" I ask sleepily, the drug starting to pull me into a deep sleep.

"I will, till you wake up" he promises, squeezing my hand a little.

"Gale?"

"yeah?" he asks again, I look into his eyes as my own begin to close.

"I love you" I whisper then my world goes black as I'm pulled fully under.

**Thank you for reading again. I hope it was enjoyable. Sorry that it's so short and for grammar mistakes that spell check may, probably has, missed. I wrote this from my iPod while on vacation. Happy to say my friend and I found a pretty fun glade, we went through twice and I only fell seven times. Haha I'm actually a pretty good skier despite falling so much, I'm just not that worried about safety. Though I did hit a pipe and my ski flew off….**

**ANYWAYS I really liked writing this chapter (I stayed up till 2:30 in the morning working on it) So **_**please **_**review! I beg you on my knees to review for me! I love them so so much! The more reviews the faster the updates come! I'll reward you for more reviews :P Thanks for reading again.**

**Mocking Verse (just realized that I never sign/type my "name" at the end…and I use the word realized a lot) **


	7. Chapter 7: Thoughts

**So this chapter is in Gale's POV. Please read and review! And a special thanks to JohnnyStormsGirl for their great reviews! **

**Disclaimer: I own many things, two dogs, a horse, my always faithful iPod, my undying crush on Josh Hutcherson, but not the Hunger Games…that belongs to Suzanne Collins.**

**Also: okay, I feel bad asking this, but a few weeks ago I read a summary to a Peeta/Katniss fanfic that was about Katniss losing her memory of everything from just before the first HG. I just remembered it a few days ago and it's driving me crazy that I can't find it anywhere now! Does anyone know of a story like that? If you do I'll PM ya a bonus chapter for this story, it would be kind of like an epilogue thing…not really sure, but I'm going to write it with these characters, I may not publish it on here, so yeah, I might send it to loyal reviewers once it's written as a thank you. **

_Its gunna be a long hot summer and we should be together with your feet up on the dashboard now. ~Long Hot Summer, Keith Urban (if you haven't caught on I like country music, pure Texan, I miss Texas, sadly, we moved a few years ago, won't tell ya where too.) _

**Gale's POV:**

"Gale?" she asks me again, I can tell the drug is pulling her under. I look deep into her closing eyes.

"Yeah?" I ask, not letting go of her hand.

"I love you" her eyes close fully and I know she's in a deep sleep. But my mind's not focused on that, it's replaying her words over and over and over.

_I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you._

Slowly I let go of her hand and make my way over to the rocking chair in the corner. I sit in it and stare at the ceiling. She loves me? How? I mentally slap myself now. Damn Gale she's had sleep syrup, she doesn't know what she's saying, she won't remember telling me. Or will she?

Okay, yeah, I like her too. As a friend though. She's my friend, nothing more. Okay, maybe she is more; friend, neighbor, crew member, and the girl I have shared so many happy childhood memories with. But Katniss. I love her. I can't fight the thought that makes its way up from the back of my mind. _She has Peeta. _But I think she loves me; sure seemed like it when I kissed her that one time.

But this girl, Denver, I know she loves me; she just told me herself. Again, how? Aren't I the one who ignored her for six years? Who just said good morning and did nothing more. Who watched her starve, and grieve, and struggle and still did nothing. Who just threw away our strong bond like it was nothing. And why did I do that? Why didn't I just go and have a conversation with her? Why couldn't I just speak to her, not just throw away that friendship we had. She had meant so much to me back then. I had meant so much to her. I wouldn't go to school back then without her, we protected each other. We depended on each other to be there. And she tried to be there for me, when my dad was killed. She tried to talk to me, but I just pushed her away. Then I didn't comfort her when her dad died, when I saw her literally dying before my eyes. When I saw her sitting alone at school, did I go over and sit with her? No, I didn't, I let her be lonely, I let her be alone.

Wow, I'm a heartless person. No, I shouldn't say that. I watched out for her, she doesn't know it, but I did. Like that one kid who shoved her once, by the end of the day I made sure he couldn't do anything with his arm for a long time. Every day I thought about going over and talking to her, I thought, no, I think, about her every day. Yea, we have a bond. A bond that was built during those first twelve years of our lives; depending on each other for comfort, for fun, for kindness. Once you have that kind of bond, you can't break it, nothing can. We'll always be each other's first best friends, always be the kids that everyone joked about; joked that one day we would be married.

And I know, almost everything a person can know about someone by just watching them can know about her. I know she never pays attention to how she ties her shoes. I know she loves nature; she always looks over at the trees, the grass, the animals around the District. I know how she loves to walk barefoot all summer long, not caring about the coal dust. I know how she hates the Capital, I can see it in her eyes. I can see she hates accepting unnecessary help from people. I can see that she doesn't care if people think her behavior isn't proper, or they think she's nothing. I know she doesn't give a crap what others think about her. I know she can hold her own in a fight; she's been involved in some in the Hob. I know how she doesn't like it when people stare at her; like I am now.

I study her face now. Her low cheekbones, her olive skin, her dark hair that falls to just past her shoulders. She looks a lot like me; classic Seam. She looks peaceful when she sleeps, but it's strange too, not seeing the usual little grin that's on her face. Not seeing it makes me realize that I love that. She doesn't let much get her down. The girl's lost everything, she doesn't have to live for anything, but she is living, happily too from what she makes it look like. My eyes look the rest of her over; Lucas is right, she's not bad looking at all. She's gained a lot of muscle in the past week too; her defined arms show that. Her hands are callused over, fit for wielding a pick axe. Her legs are stronger too, from bracing them so she can swing the axe, so she can do a man's job. And she does it without complaint.

Then something comes into my mind. It connects with the bond I share with this girl, since we were best friends, the bond that can never go away. What the bond must be like if you kept someone alive. _Like Katniss and Peeta. _My mind tells me. The realization hits me like a ton of bricks. Katniss will never be mine. Because she saved Peeta's life and he saved hers. They will always have that bond between them, and that's the strongest bond, I think, any two people could have. Peeta will always need Katniss. And even, if she doesn't know it yet. She will need him. There never will be an 'us', a Katniss and Gale. My stomach just feels like an empty pit at the thought, at the truth.

But like most troubles, I find strength in this realization. I can move on now. I don't feel tied down by that sliver of chance that maybe she could pick me. It's like a weight now lifted off some other part of me. My thoughts are cut off when I hear the racing off feet coming up the stairs. I go to the door and open it right before Vick and Rory barrel through. They stop and look up at me expectantly.

"You have to be quiet, she's sleeping." I instruct them, they just nod. I stand aside and let them in. I watch as my brothers' stand beside the bed looking down at Denver. She's friends with them too. She's like a big sister to them, no, she's like the big brother I don't have the time to be.

"Will she be okay?" Vick asks looking back at me, I shrug, I don't know.

"She should be fine with a few days' rest." I look over to see Prim next to me. Vick nods and smiles clearly relieved that she'll be okay. I am too. But a few day's rest? She can't afford to miss work; she needs the money too much.

After an hour I tell Vick and Rory they should get home.

"No, I'm staying here until she wakes up" Vick tells me all too matter-o-factly.

"Vick" I warn him he's pushing it with my patience.

"I'm staying here too; if you get to stay so do we." It's Rory who speaks up this time.

"Both of you, home, now. Mom will be wondering where we all are. Tell her where I am and I'll be home in a few hours." I tell them sternly.

"Gale" Vick groans at me

"Vick" I sound like I'm Posy's age when I imitate his tone.

"Fine" I watch as my brothers' look at Denver one last time, Rory squeezes her hand, and then they finally leave. After just standing in the room for a few minutes I go over and sit next to her on the bed, I take her hand in mine. How many times have I done this before? Hundreds? Thousands? To many times to remember. Her hand feels so familiar in mine. I trace circles on the back of her hand with my thumb.

"I'm sorry" I whisper to her, even though she can't hear me. "I'm so sorry for everything I've done to you." I look down at her hand in mine, my gaze will stay there until she wakes.

**This chapter was actually really hard for me to write. Brought back memories of me and my old best friend….ended up just looking through pictures of us together from when we were little. Haven't talked/seen him in four years. Still praying for the day he'll chat me or something. I kept having to stop writing the first part when Gale is asking why she loves him. At first I just did it and it ended up being a really long rant and instead using my name and my old friend's name. Damn I miss him. Hopefully it turned out okay. **

**Please review.**

**Mocking Verse**


	8. Chapter 8: Confessions

**Sorry this update would've been done sooner…but I got a little sidetracked looking at pictures of a certain actor... Anyways enjoy the chapter and please review. **

_The trouble with girls is they're a mystery, something about them puzzles me. ~The Trouble with Girls, Scotty McCreery_

Denver's POV:

Slowly I feel myself coming out of the darkness. Returning to the real world, out of my worry-free dream world. Then it hits me. Instant confusion. I go stiff and keep my eyes closed. It's warm here, it's comfy here. It's a new feeling, the warmth isn't from a fire, and it's from something else. It's new and I don't like it. I feel someone has my hand, I study the feeling without opening my eyes. A few minutes later I figure out who it is. Gale.

I remember how his hand felt in mine when we were little. It feels the same now, just harder, larger. I open my eyes and scan my surroundings. I'm in a room, a big room, bigger than the main portion of my house. I'm in a bed, there's a rocking chair in the corner. And there's Gale. He's leaning against the footboard of the bed, my hand in his, his eyes are closed, but I can tell he's awake. I slip my hand out of his and use it to prop myself up into a sitting position. My head doesn't hurt nearly as bad as it did before. I'm grateful for that.

When I look up again I see Gale's eyes are open, watching me carefully.

"Where are we?" I ask him sleepily. A look of surprise crosses his face.

"You don't remember?"

I shake my head, "No, last I remember is watching Trip blow up the wall. Then on the ground. Then my head hurting like hell."

"Oh, well in that case, we're in the Everdeen's house."

"What! Why?" I hiss out, interrupting him. He raises his eyebrows at me, surprised at my reaction. I don't want to be in a victor's house. That explains the heat; they have a heater. Cause they're stinking rich.

"You were hurt, Mrs. Everdeen helped you. Relax, Katniss isn't here." Katniss? Why does he think I care if she's here or not? Okay, I would care if she was, but still, that's the first thing he comes up with!

"Oh" is all I can say though. That's, nice, of her mother. I look outside through the window, it's getting dark out. "I want to go home" I say simply.

"I figured, come on" Gale gets up, I'm utterly surprised when he comes over and starts to pick me up.

"Hey! What are you doing?" I ask, he puts me back down and chuckles.

"I guess you don't remember that. I carried you here, since you kept throwing up whenever you tried to walk."

"Okay, thanks, but I think I'm good now." I say as I swing my legs slowly out of the bed and get up. My knees shake a little, but I find my balance a few moments later. Gale guides me downstairs, into the living room. A middle aged woman sits on the couch. She looks over at me.

"Oh, your awake, that's good." She gets up and comes over, feels my head. She asks me all these questions too. After my interrogation she says I can go home and to take it easy for a while. Gale walks me back home; he even comes inside and helps me start up my fire again.

"Well you're feeling helpful" I chuckle at him as I watch from the kitchen table. He shrugs.

"I heard some good news today." He turns so I can see the wide grin on his face. His grin makes me feel weird inside.

"What did you hear?"

"Things" is all he tells me. Wow, thanks for preparing me for some news and then refusing to tell me.

"Okay?"

Gale stands up and faces me now, the fire is roaring and the house is starting to warm up. "I should get home, I'll check in before I go to work."

Wait what? I'm going to work too. "I'm going to work." I point out, he just stares at me and shakes his head.

"No, you're not. Mining coal isn't exactly 'taking it easy' like you were told to do for a few days."

"I can't _afford_ to 'take it easy'" I snap back at him, he can't tell me what to do. A smirk appears on Gale's face.

"That's what I thought too. But then again, the parcel for this month is coming tomorrow, so you'll be fine."

"Damn you" I sneer, clearly showing that he's right and any argument I make will now be invalid. With that Gale leaves and goes over to his house, I stay where I am for a while before I get up and make myself a sandwich. I'd go to bed too, like everyone else, only I was asleep for the past what, four, five hours? I'm not tired at all. So I eat my sandwich slowly, and then sit by the fire, leaning against the wall.

What made Gale so helpful today? My mind wonders again. What good news did he hear? Oh well.

My thoughts struggle to try and remember what happened. The more I think about it, the more I remember. Not full things, but bits and pieces. Okay, ya, Gale did carry me. I remember Rory's voice, where was he? I remember thanking someone. I remember saying I-

My stomach contorts and I stop breathing when I remember. I told someone I love them. My head goes between my knees as I bring them up to my chest. No, no, no. Who did I tell? The moment I ask, is the moment I know. And it's the truth too. I love Gale.

;;;;:::;;;;

I wake up still by the fire, which is dying down. Only it's to the sound of someone knocking on my door. I groan when I remember who it is. Gale. I get up and stretch my sore muscles before I open the door. He's standing on my crappy porch; I look up at him and raise my eyebrows.

"How are you feeling?" he asks.

"Fine, maybe I should go to work." I muse

"No, you're not, besides, I told Vick and Rory you would be able to walk them to school today." He gives me a smug smile. I sigh; I do like walking the boys to school. I cross my arms across my chest.

"Fine" I growl out at him.

"See you after work." Gale turns and goes to start making his way to the mines. Then I get an idea. I don't have to stay home today; I don't have to stay in the District. The woods. I can go there, I love the woods, but I haven't gone in a while.

"Maybe" I say softly, maybe I won't be home when he gets back. But for now, I get to walk the boys to school. I go over and lean against the house, like I always did. Soon Vick and Rory come out and we chat the whole way to their school. I tell them about working in the mines and they tell me what they've been 'learning' in school.

After they're inside I go to the meadow. I easily remember where the hole in the fence is and go there. Concealed by the bushes I listen for the soft hum that would tell me the fence is live, there's none. I easily slip under, and then make my way to the safety of the tree cover, making sure to cover my tracks until I get there. No one knows I go in the woods, no one but me. It's my special place, where I can be alone, where I can speak my mind even if there is no one to listen. But I know others come here too. Like Katniss and Gale; I've seen his snares, I know where they hide their bows. But I don't take them, I don't take their game. That would be stealing, even if they could never find out; I won't steal from my friend.

Once deep enough in I allow myself to relax. It's hard walking; the snow is deeper here than inside the District, but I don't mind. I take deep breaths of the fresh air. It's hard not to compare it to the muggy air inside the mines. Out here, I'm free.

I find a good tree and scale it easily, I find a nook in which I can easily sit and watch the forest. I sit very still, leaning against the trunk of the tree, and slowly but surely, the woods come alive. Birds come out and fly through the branches above me, singing their songs. Squirrels that have not yet gone into hibernation come out, scurrying up and down the tree trunks. I even see a small family of deer working their way through the underbrush. I let myself close my eyes and bring my knees up to my chest. It's nice here, it's peaceful, no one can bother me. Then I fall asleep.

I wake up just in time, I feel my body tipping over and soon, falling. I shoot my hands up and barely catch the branch. I hang from the branch about ten feet above the ground. At least I think it's about ten feet, the shadows created by the setting sun dance on the white snow, it could actually be a lot farther down then ten feet. I spit, from my saliva I realize it is a lot longer than ten feet, maybe more like fifteen. I use my newly gained upper body strength to slowly lift myself closer to the branch. Once I'm close enough I swing my leg over until I'm sitting on the branch like it's a horse. Great, that worked. I work my way down the tree until I can just leap down and land safely in the snow.

On my way back to the fence I catch sight of one of Gale's many snares set up in this part of the woods. It's been triggered, I can tell since it hangs above the ground, but there's no animal inside. I go up and examine it for a while; I know this kind of snare. Ever so carefully I work on resetting it. I've never actually set one, but I've seen what they are supposed to look like. It takes a while, but soon I have it set so it looks just like the ones I've seen around before.

"I didn't know you did snares" I jump and whirl around at his voice. I didn't even hear him come up behind me, it's creepy, I didn't hear a thing. Gale stands leaning against a tree, watching me. My gaze meets his and he smiles, actually, full out, smiles. I've never seen him smile like that before, well, not in six years; I smile back and then avert my gaze to my hands again.

"I don't, I've seen yours set before though."

"You've got a good eye then" he pushes gently off the tree and comes over. "But, you need to put it like this." He puts his arms around me from behind and takes my hands in his and does the movements for me. All he makes me do is adjust the rope a little more. "Now it will snap faster, plus, they can't see it as well." I just nod; I can feel him against me. It makes me feel safer, I trust him. He moves my hands so the snare is placed on the ground. Then we just stand there, my hands in his. I look over my shoulder and see him watching me.

"I remember what I told you yesterday" I whisper, he raises his eyebrows at me.

"And?" he asks, his gray eyes locking on mine.

"I meant it."

**Yes! Okay, this would be longer, but I'm trying to firgure out Gale's reaction...not really sure for this, so it might be a bit out of character for him next chapter. Also, I got a gale poster along with some other HG posters from a magazine and its one of those so it always seems like it's looking at you...which i don't mind, just a bit creepy. and now... I GO TO BUY MY HUNGER GAMES MIDNIGHT PREMIERE TICKETS! PLEASE REVIEW!**


	9. Chapter 9: Oops

**My life is complete. I have tickets to the midnight premiere for the Hunger Games. Awesomeness. Okay, so as I said in the end of last chapter, I wasn't really sure how to make Gale react. Since when she first said it he isn't really sure she means it since she was under drugs and all that stuff. So I came up with this reaction, which some may like. Others, not so sure. By the way the weird text stuff is kinda a preview for the chapter if you go through the trouble of changing the font to something readable. **

_Gotta be more than this, I need a little less hard time; I need a little more bliss. ~Gotta Be Something More, Sugarland_

Denver's POV:

Immediately he draws back, I turn to look at him, but he refuses to make eye contact and look at the ground.

"What?" I demand, "You said you heard good news yesterday" I point out to him.

"Ya, I didn't know you meant it though, didn't know you meant it in that sort of way. You don't really know me Denver."

I can feel the fire rage into my eyes, I know they're blazing. _Don't really know me? _I know everything about him!

"Not know you! Damn it Gale! I know everything about you! I know you hunt for your family to keep them alive! I know you were forced to grow up way too fast! I know your favorite color is brown! I know you like to sleep with the windows open in the summer! I know it kills you that you can't be a big brother to your siblings! I know you hate the Capital like I do! I know you can't wait for a rebellion! I know you'd start one yourself if you could, and frankly, so would I! I know your best friend is Katniss, and that kills me! But you know what? She'll never be yours Gale! Never! She has Peeta! Even if that whole lover's thing was fake in there, they saved each other! They have an unbreakable bond! I know that before you loved her you always went out with girls! That killed me too! Because you would talk to them but not me! Damn I probably know more about Vick and Rory than you do too! If anything, you don't know me!" I'm yelling at him now, and right in his face. I'm not prepared when he takes his hands and shoves me to the ground and I fall back in the snow. My fury rises to a whole new level with that.

"I know you! God, I know how stubborn you are! I know how you don't hesitate to fight! I know you don't mind voicing your thoughts! I know you hate the Capital too! I know that really, you hate the mines! You hate going down there! It terrifies you! And you know what? Usually you're right about most things! I know I can't have Katniss! I know that! And you know what? Maybe we would be better friends if you had tried to talk to me! I wasn't aware I was the one who had to make the first move! Sorry if I didn't get that notice! Because really, I didn't see a reason to talk to you at all for six years!"

;;;:::;;;;

-Gale's POV:

As soon as the last line leaves my mouth I regret it. I didn't mean to say that, not at all. But I did, and her reaction is immediate. She's already on her feet from when I shoved her down. Now her gray eyes have turned to fiery silver. She comes right up and shoves me hard against the tree; she really has gotten stronger in the mines. Then she slaps, no, punches me in the face.

"NO REASON!" she screams at the top of her lungs. "I WAS FUCKING DYING!" loud, she's way too loud, we're far from the fence but she might be heard. "IF YOU DON'T THINK THAT" I cut her up by pressing my lips to hers. She tries to pull away but I keep mine on hers. Only a few seconds pass before she's able to break away. Her face shows that she's. She's. Disgusted. She backs away from me slowly. And I notice something else too, she's crying. "No, you made yourself perfectly clear Hawthorne" With that she walks past me back towards the fence. She doesn't even look back at me, I stare after her, but I can hear her sobs. Not knowing what to do. But, I feel my heart pull towards her, I feel it and I hate it. Why do I always fall for girls I can't have?

;;;::::;;;;

The next day is Friday; we only have a half day at work today. Today is also Denver's first day back. I haven't spoken to her; she hasn't even looked at me, since the woods. I hug Posy goodbye and then walk outside. I look over to Denver's house, it's empty. Where is she? I walk over and see she's already gone, so I start to make the walk by myself. It's lonely, I hate it.

When I reach the mines I see my crew gathered by the shaft. Denver's with them already, laughing away with Lucas. I scowl.

"Hawthorne, we got a change in partners!" Gary announces as I walk up.

"What? Why?" I ask, I don't want to change partners, I was hoping to talk to Denver during work. Everyone stops talking and looks at me for my reaction. Gary looks at Denver and she gives him a slight nod.

"Denver requested it, your new partner is Dalton."

No. I don't want this to happen; I don't want to be partners with Dalton. I look to Denver, Lucas pulls her into a one armed hug and grins at me, and I scowl my eyes at him. I don't want her partners with Lucas. "Sorry Hawthorne, she realized we were meant to be together, didn't you baby?"

Denver glares at Lucas, "No, I just wanted a change in routine. Change is good, isn't it?" No, I think. You hate change.

The next five hours are utter torture for me. The work is particularly hard today, _and _I have to listen to Lucas and Denver laugh and talk the whole entire time. I learn that she's going to the harvest festival tonight, and sadly, I hear her promise Lucas that he can dance with her. Somewhere between they're conversation of pie and Lucas saying she can come over to his house after if she wants I decide I'm going to the harvest festival too.

**I know it's a really short chapter, but I wanted the festival to be it's own chapter so, this one is short. Special thanks to my brother who got up late so I have time to post this before I go to school. Please R-E-V-I-E-W!**


	10. Chapter 10: Slow Conversations

**Oh my gosh thank you for all the reviews on the last chapter! I loved them all! Please read and review! Loved writing this chapter!**

_What happened to that girl I used to know, I just want us back to the way we were before. ~Do I, Luke Bryan_

Denver's POV:

I'm ecstatic when the whistle blows, when we're let out early from work. I ignore the want I have to stand next to Gale while pushing our cart up, but I go next to Lucas instead. Throughout the day I saw him glancing over at Lucas and I, giving us pissed off looks. Once we have the cart in the shaft I stand by Lucas while it starts up.

"Remember you promised me a dance?" Lucas gives me a cocky grin. I elbow him in the ribs and force a natural looking smile on my face. I'm not going to appear weak in front of Gale, he already saw me cry. So all day I've been pretending that it's easy to ignore him, it's easy just to forget him. But it's not, pretending its easy is one of the hardest things to do.

"I know I did, relax, I won't forget." I'm the first one out of the shaft and to get my coat, I start to walk briskly back to my house. But I know he's behind me, I know he's watching me. I don't look back though, not once. I hurry right into my house and close the door, not even pausing to even look at Gale. I do hear him sigh though after I close the door rather roughly, oh well, his reason for talking to me now won't be a big deal, seeing that for six years he didn't take me starving as a reason to talk to me. I go and open the doors to a closet in the bedroom. We have exactly four dresses. Two of them I won't wear, they were my mothers. So that leaves the yellow dress and the blue dress. I take the blue dress out; it's been in our family for generations, passed down from someone who married a merchant man. It's an expensive dress, but time has dulled its once vibrant colors and now it looks normal. It's just a sky blue that slightly hugs the wearers figure. I decide to wear this one, considering the yellow dress is too small for me.

I go and draw myself a bath, we're required to bathe before we go. There will be cameras there to televise the event; we wouldn't want District Twelve to look poor would we. I slip into the ice cold water, it is winter time and I'm too lazy to actually go and heat the water over the fire before dumping it in the tub. I like cold baths anyways. It's safe to say I'm utterly shocked at how quickly the water turns a murky gray. _Right, I work in the mines now. _I remind myself, I must have layers upon layers of the black dust on me. I'm right too by the time I'm done and the water is almost a pure black. But my skin is clean and soft without the grim on it.

After that I brush and dry my hair, which takes almost two hours of sitting by the fire in my towel. I then dress myself in the blue dress and braid my hair back. Nothing big, just simple braids down my back, but after I look at it I decide what the hell and I put it down. I never have it just down, well, unless I forget. By the time I'm finished I have just enough time to make it to the square. Lucky me, I get to listen to Peeta and Katniss's speech.

On my way down the streets I hear feet running to catch up to me, then hands on my waist and I'm picked up and spun around. "Hey girly you look beautiful!" I hear Lucas exclaim and Dalton join in laughing with him.

"Ugh put me down!" I cry while trying to kick him, he obeys my plea and soon I'm back on my feet walking back towards the square. But Lucas and Dalton walk right beside me like body guards. I give them each a glance. They don't look too bad themselves without their mining clothes on. They're clean too.

My body guards and I easily meet up with the rest of our crew, all in attendance except for Gale, and we all stand near the back of the square. We moan and are told to "shut our fucking mouths and listen to the god damn victors" by a peacekeeper during Katniss and Peeta's, well, actually just Peeta's speech about how happy they are to be home and they can't wait to get married. _What married? _

"Since when are they getting married?" I whisper to no one in particular on my crew.

"He asked her last night in the Capital, she said yes." Andrew informs me. I just nod; of course they'll get married. With that Peeta thanks us again and tells us to all have a good time, they then dismiss themselves to go do whatever victors do after a victory speech. The band on stage picks up a fast beat tune and I feel myself be spun into Lucas's arms. I can't help but laugh at his goofy face he gives me as we're the first ones out to dance.

Mostly everything after that is a blur to me. At some point I just let myself get lost in all the excitement of the party and I must have danced with everyone on our crew, Lucas more than anybody. He's not a bad dancer either, good at both fast and slow songs; I prefer dancing with him on fast songs, since I don't like how close he held me to him during the slow ones. We all eat a ton, all the food graciously provided by our ever dictating Capital.

I'm dancing with Drew when he twirls me away off to my next dancing partner during a fast song. You're supposed to leave your partner for a new one at the end of the song, and whoever you get sent to you dance with for the next song. I'm a little pissed but not disappointed when I see who Drew sent me too. Gale. "I thought you weren't one for parties?" I sneer at him, even more pissed when the band starts a slow song and Gale pulls me closer to him.

"Hello to you too. And ya, but I figured there would be food." He retorts. I roll my eyes at him and try and look anywhere besides my newest dancing partner. Only a few moments pass before he speaks up again though. "You look great." I turn my gaze on him, he doesn't look bad himself. Okay, so he looks fantastic in the nice clothes his mother must have wrestled him into, but I won't say that out loud.

"Thanks, so do you." He grins a bit at me.

"Thank you." I become ever aware of his hand on my back now. "So, you like change?" he says softly so only I can hear, and by his tone, I can tell he knows I hate change.

"Not particularly, but I figured I shouldn't work with someone who saw no point in talking to me anymore while my family died" I say casually, he flinches.

"_That's _what you're angry about? Okay, I didn't mean to say that, I was just. Just, I was so mad."

"At what?" I ask, finally making eye contact with the gorgeous boy in front of me, even if I have to look up a bit.

"Myself, for my reaction, for my thoughts. At you, for knowing so much about me and me not even bothering to talk to you all those years." I can see he really means it, but I'm fully ready to forgive him.

"I'm sorry I pushed you." I mutter.

"And for punching me?" he asks, I grin up at him.

"No, you deserved that" I giggle, he smiles.

"I guess I did." There are a few more moments of awkward silence between us before the song ends.

"Well, I'm on my way home, tell Vick, Rory, and Posy I say hi" I instruct Gale. He nods.

"Okay," I turn to walk away but he grabs my hand, I turn back and look at him with a questioning look. "I'm sorry I kissed you." He tells me while looking down at the ground. I grin and shrug.

"You don't have to be sorry for that; it was a good way of shutting me up. I just didn't like it then because of the words you had just said." His grip softens on my hand and I pull it out of his. "Goodnight Gale, see you tomorrow." And with that I leave Gale Hawthorne standing by himself, with myself no longer pissed at him, and with a look of utter confusion on his face.

**Hoped you enjoyed this once again short chapter! Please review! I love reviews! The past ones is why this is up tonight and not tomorrow ;) **


	11. Chapter 11: Whips

**Once again thank you for the reviews! Also another thanks to my brother for being slow so I can start this chapter early! Read and review…this is the whipping. **

_Woke up late today and I still feel the sting of the pain. ~A Little Bit Stronger, Sara Evans_

Denver's POV:

The next eight day's go be without any chaos. We eat, sleep, and work. Gale and I go back to walking to work together, even if it is a bit awkward since our fight. I still am paired with Lucas for mining, which I have to say is now annoying with all the talking he does, but I do eat lunch sitting across from Gale. Every day he gives me another drawing from Posy too, usually it's one of Gale and I together with pick axes, but they still always brighten my day. But today is Sunday, our off day, so I'm sitting in the Hob, Darius is playing with my hair again no matter how many times I tell him to fuck off.

I slide the bowl of wild dog soup back to Sae and hand her my coin.

"Here I need to get away from him" I growl, giving Darius a pointed look. He grins at me.

"You know you love me" he chuckles

"I know I'd rather leave a dent in your face" I say smugly as I hop off the counter and head for the door. I walk down towards the square, a smile on my face. I actually got to eat my full the other night, from what I get since District Twelve won the Games and I got my paycheck and I could afford bread last night. I stop when I see a crowd of people in the square. I walk over, but Lucas sees me and runs over.

"Go home Denver, go home, there's nothing you can do." He tells me as he starts to push me away from the square. I shove him back. _Help who? _I push my way over to my crew to the front. My eyes widen as I see Gale standing in the square, a dead turkey hanging from his belt. A peacekeeper, one I've never seen before, stands by him. He grabs the turkey from Gale's belt and holds it before his face.

"Did you kill this?" the peacekeeper demands, I notice he's wearing the head peacekeeper uniform. What? Where the hell is Cray!

"Yes sir, it got in through a hole in the fence, I killed it with a stick." Gale lies coldly, everyone who knows Gale knows he killed it in the woods.

"Is this his first offence?" The man looks to the other group of peacekeepers, I recognize all of them, they look at each other in confusion. I see Darius join them from the back.

"Yes" Another man in the huddle answers.

"This man is sentenced to a public whipping to be commenced immediately" My heart drops when the head peacekeeper, who I hear whispers that his name is Thread, announce. He then goes and ties Gale's hands to a post and strips him of his shirt. Gale looks up to the crowd and looks right at me, his eyes pleading. "Go" he mouths to me, I clench my jaw and shake my head. "No" I mouth back, he rolls his eyes at me. Then I see Thread unravel his whip and I shudder.

It's a long black piece of rope, bared at the end with a blunt metal handle. Pain. That's what it will cause. I'm not prepared when Thread takes it and expertly whips Gale's back with such force that Gale falls to his knees. I whine, my eyes filling with tears, as I see the streak of blood on his back, the gash that the barb caused. Gale only gets a seconds rest before he's whipped again. And again. And again. After ten whippings Gale's back is mutilated and bloody and scared, ripped open.

"Gale" I moan aloud, finding my voice, I feel two people take my arms.

"Don't do anything stupid Denver, he's strong, he can take it." I hear Gary whisper quickly into my ear. Gale looks up at me again, sees the silent tears that run down my face and mouths for me to go while the whip is raised again. It comes down with a whistle and then a loud snap as it hits Gale again. And again. And again. After fifteen whippings I see his body go limp as he passes out and I go crazy.

"GALE! GALE!" I start to scream uncontrollably as I break away from whoevers holding me and run in front of him. "You've done enough!" I scream in Thread's face, he grins and brings the whip back again. I stagger backwards as I feel the barb go into my face and tear off part of the flesh under my right eye.

"It's not your place to say" he sneers. I barely hear him though, because I'm knelt down besides Gale, his face in my hands.

"Gale, Gale, Gale please be okay." I whisper softly, but I fall to the stone floor as I feel the barb lodge in my back and be ripped out. Now it's my turn for whipping.

"You are being punished for interfering with Capital punishment. First offence. The boy is finished with." I hear Thread explain. He picks me up by my shirt and orders others to untie Gale. They do and he's laid face first into the stones and I'm tied to his post. Seconds later I hear the wind whistle and then unbearable pain shoots through my body. I can feel every piece of my skin that is ripped away. I look at Gale, unconscious still, and then to the crowd. I see his face appear on a crate, Peeta Mellark. I look away and to the ground as the whip comes down on my back. Thread is unforgiving with the whip. Strike. Strike. Strike. I feel every single beating I receive. I feel the rope first, then the barb lodge, then it coming out, then my skin ripping. I count along in my head to the whips rhythm. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. I count how many times I'm whipped. At four I fall to my knees, opening gashes in them and I feel the blood seeping out. At eleven, my world goes black as I pass out with the pain of the barb ripping out of me again. I can still feel it though, the whip. I can count that to twenty before I completely go unconscious.

;;;;::::;;;;;

Over the next few days I'm only aware of one thing. Pain. I drift in and out of consciousness at least fifty times a day. Waking brings pain; my face, my back, the bright blinding lights. But there is relief, a cold, soft drains the pain from body, then I go back into the darkness. I hear voices once and a while. I can place them too. Mrs. Everdeen. Katniss. Haymitch Abernathy. Lucas. Dalton. Peeta Mellark. Gary. I hear all of their voices at least once in my moments of consciousness. But I never hear Gale, and it terrifies me. One day I feel something being placed on my back. I fainted when I realized what it was, my skin. Then, after what seems like a lifetime, I can open my eyes again.

I open them slowly; the first thing I notice is its nighttime, so it takes a while for my eyes to adjust to the dark house. Then I see him just a few feet away on the kitchen table, in the same position I am.

"Gale" I croak out, my voice sounds haggard and hoarse. He doesn't respond and I move my hard to reach out to him, there's a ripping noise as pain shoots through my back. I've ripped my healing skin. The pain is so much that I pass out again, my hand on the table, reaching for Gale.

;;;:::;;;;

Gale's POV:

When I open my eyes the first thing I see is Buttercup. Stupid cat.

"Fuck you" I grumble to the hideous cat, at my words I make more people in the room move. Soon I see Katniss, Prim, and her mother.

"You can sit up if you'd like Gale; your skin is healing nicely." I hear Mrs. Everdeen instruct me. With that I slowly sit up on the table. Katniss smiles at me.

"Hey Catnip" I grin, she laughs.

"Hey Gale, you scared us there, seeing you lying on the floor like that."

"Ya, we got a new head peacekeeper" I try to keep my back as still as possible. I see Prim's eyes keep flitting to something behind me though. I turn around slowly and see her on the table. Denver lays face down on the table, she doesn't have a shirt on, well she does, but only on her front, but that's not what I can't take my eyes off of. She was whipped too. I can count each lash, each gasp in her back. Twenty-five times she was whipped. Her back is mutilated, I can see Katniss's mom and Prim have been working on her too though; most of her back is healing, except for one spot by her right shoulder. I follow her arm and see her hand on the table I sit on; I take it in mine and rub it softly with my thumb. "What happened to her?" I demand without taking my eyes off of Denver.

"Relax Gale, she'll be fine, she's woken up a few times." I hear Peeta Mellark answer for me, I turn and glare at him.

"That wasn't my question Mellark." Peeta sighs, I notice Katniss looks sad.

"From what we've gathered, she went crazy when you passed out. She started screaming for you. Apparently she went in front of you and demanded Thread stop, he whipped her across the face, and then declared she would be punished for interfering and that your punishment was done. Thread whipped her twenty five times for it." Peeta tells me without looking up at me. In my head I see a picture of her watching me being whipped, silent tears running down her face, her refusing to leave me. She did this. For me. She went through all of that pain, that torture, for me. She did it so I wouldn't be hurt more. I shake my head in disbelief as I look back down at her, her face is towards us, I can see the gash on it, marring her features. "I think she loves you Gale." Peeta says slowly. I only nod, then I look up at Katniss.

"I'm happy for you Gale. She'll be okay; she should wake up in a few minutes. She sort of has a pattern." Katniss gives me a small smile.

Turns out Katniss was right, a few minutes later Denver's eyes slowly open and a groan escapes her lips. Right away I can tell she's still in pain. I can tell because of how her face contorts right away, of how she clenches her jaw, but her eyes lock on mine. "Hey Den" I smile at her. She doesn't say a word but squeezes my hand. "Thanks." Then I notice tears coming from her eyes as she deals with the pain. I watch in distress as she tenses to try and deal with it, but it rips open her back some and she moans again. I turn to Katniss's mom, "Can't you give her anything?" I ask rather harshly.

"Nothing we can spare, she's okay."

"No! No she's not!" My voice starts to rise and I stand. I'm glad my back has healed enough so I can walk around without it ripping.

"Gale. Calm down, she can deal with this much pain."

"No! Clearly she can't!" I motion to her, tears coming from her eyes silently, her back begins to bleed again, and Mrs. Everdeen goes to her. I grab her arm as she passes me. "Who are you to decide how much pain she can take!" I say harshly. I feel two pairs of arms go around me and pull me away.

"Get him outta here, Gale I'm doing all I can." Mrs. Everdeen instructs.

"Give her something!" I demand again while I'm being pulled out by Peeta and Haymitch.

"Gale, relax, we know it's hard to watch someone you love in pain." Haymitch slurs in my ear. I relax, because I know the words that the drunkard told me are true. _It's hard to watch someone you love in pain._

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and yes I know in the book he's whipped about forty times and passes out at around thirty, but I added the barb at the end of this whip, so it's worse. Please please review!**


	12. Chapter 12: Healing

**Not really sure what to say here….oh wait I know…read and review! I love all of my reviewers! pirate-princess1, HabsGirl31, CSIGetteBlue, Maddy Hawthorne, Zayren Heart, Lou the Third, luzma38900, JohnnyStormsGirl, meganlucindaxo, littleanjel, and ManikaMinaaj! Enjoy! **

_Well we're coming, to your city, gunna play our guitars and play you a country song. ~Comin' to Your City, Big & Rich_

Denver's POV:

A week later I woke up and sat up slowly, my skin didn't rip, I let out a huge sigh of relief. I let a grin spread across my face when I realized I could actually stay awake this time, sadly though, it was night time. Slowly I drop down from the counter I was on, that's when I realize my lack of clothing. I mean, I have my shirt on, but the back is cut off. Whatever. I carefully make my way over to the window and look outside, snow is everywhere. We must have gotten a blizzard. I turn back around and jump when I notice the figure in a rocking chair; they must've been in charge of watching me. I go closer then notice who it is, Haymitch Abernathy. Wow, they put a drunk in charge of watching me, wonderful.

"Denver?" I whirl around to see who said my name; Peeta Mellark stands at the bottom of the stairs.

"What?" I ask, I mean for it to sound nice but it comes out rather harshly.

"How do you feel? I thought I heard someone walking around. They sounded like regular footsteps too so I knew it wasn't drunky here" I laugh a bit when Peeta motions to the man passed out in the chair.

"Ya, I was real relieved when I saw he was watching me with that knife in his hand. And I feel fine, just hungry and I feel like I have no back." Peeta grins and walks over to the kitchen, after fumbling around a bit he pulls out a loaf of bread and a knife.

"You can have this." He smiles up at me as I walk over and he slices the bread. My mouth starts to water when I see the steam rise up from the inside and the godly aroma of freshly baked bread fills my nostrils.

"All of it?" I ask

"Ya, dig in." He pushes the loaf towards me and no other words are needed for me to pick up a slice and start to eat the whole entire loaf. Peeta watches me the whole time while I eat and by the time I'm finished I'm a bit pissed by his goofy smirk.

"What!" I demand.

"Nothing, just thinking that Gale will be happy you're up." At his name I instantly perk up.

"How is he? Where is he? When did he-" I bombard the baker with questions but he cuts me off with a laugh.

"Relax, he's fine, he's at home now. But he'll come by in the morning to check on you, like he does every day, then he'll stay all day long since he can't go back to the mines yet, then he'll go home and repeat the process the next day." I'm glad it's dark so Peeta can't see my face go red, Gale's been checking on me? "I'd just get some sleep if I were you, you can sleep on the couch, just don't touch Haymitch." He warns as he makes his way back to the stairs.

"I would never he's filthy." Peeta laughs and bids me goodnight. Okay, maybe he isn't too bad, Peeta I mean, not some arrogant victor that I imagined. I go over and lay on the couch, at first the pressure on my back hurts a bit, but with some time my regrown skin gets used to the contact and I fall back to sleep.

;;;:::;;;;

When I wake up I see the light streaming down from the windows, its quiet too.

"Den? You awake?" I can't help the smile that forms across my face at Gale's voice.

"Ya" I laugh softly as I sit up, Gale's sitting in the chair that Haymitch had been passed out in that night. Before I know it Gale has come over and wrapped his arms around me, he's careful not to touch my back and I relax in his arms.

"Thank you, thank you so much." He says softly in my ear.

"It was nothing, you didn't deserve that." He pulls away from me, his eyes blazing again I raise my eyebrows at him to ask what's the matter, he motions to my back.

"_You _didn't deserve _this._" He retorts and I grin.

"If I have to earn them in order for you to stop being whipped, then I'll take it." Gale huffs and shakes his head. He's smiling a bit when he looks up at me again.

"You're crazy you know that?" I grin back at him.

"I'm a good friend." My grin grows into a smile as I compliment myself.

"Crazy good" he agrees as he hugs me again. "What should we do today?" he asks me, I give him a confused look. "Well, Mrs. Everdeen said you can go home when you wake up. So you're up. And we both can't work in the mines for at least a week, maybe two. So what should we do to waste all of this time we have?" I make his eyes light up with the one word answer I give him; I whisper it in his ear so only he can hear me in case this place is bugged.

"Woods"

;;;;::::;;;;;

A week later I sit on a rock and wait for Gale, he's checking his snare line as I amuse myself and make shadow puppets against the stone. It's been a week since I woke up fully, my back in feeling great compared to how it did before and is healing nicely. Gale's is too, even though he's closer to normal than I am. We've spent almost every possible moment together for the past week. The only time I don't see him is when I'm sleeping and right when I wake up, he always comes over when he gets up and doesn't leave me until I fall asleep. It's been just the two of us too, no Katniss, she's busy planning her little wedding. Just me and Gale. I put my middle finger up in the air so there's its shadow on the rock.

"And here's the fucking Capital and it all goes tumbling down and the whole world cheers" I make my own commentary as I use my other hand to shove my middle finger down. I look up as I hear Gale's laughter reach my ears. It's taken me a while, but I've gotten used to him seeming to appear out of thin air. I smile at him and he doesn't hesitate to return it, his full smile, the smile he only has when he's in the woods. The smile that sends my heart racing at a hundred beats a second.

"Those are fantastic daydreams" he smirks as he sits next to me on the rock once I make room for him, I instantly get warmer with his body right next to mine. I move the blanket we brought so it covers us both and Gale puts the two rabbits he caught on top of it.

"Hopefully they'll become reality." I say as I take out my knife and begin to skin one of the rabbits.

"It better." Gale agrees with me, after that a comfortable silence settles over us as we both skin a rabbit. I am proud to say I utterly surprised Gale when I first offered to help him skin the game. I only had to watch him do it once to know how, I learn by watching and pick things up pretty quick. But still, experience is always handy and Gale finishes before I do. I relax even more when his scarred hand comes up and brushes the hair out of my face and behind my ear. I feel my face get red and try to hide it best I can. I finish my rabbit and throw it down on top of Gale's before our feet; I look to see a very arrogant grin plastered on his face.

"What?" I demand.

"You like it when I touch you." His grin gets wider and I huff and cross my arms over my chest.

"It's just cold." I complain, hopefully that can be a reason for my face getting red.

"Well, let me help out then" I can still tell he has that stupid grin on his face by his voice, but I don't really care when his arm goes around me and he pulls me closer to him. I rest my head on his shoulder and relax more as I get warmer sharing his body heat. "See, you do like it." I just make a noise signifying that yes, he's right and I don't really care that he is. He hugs me closer to him and I let myself close my eyes as he repositions himself so my head rests on his chest. I'm basically sitting in his lap now.

"I feel like I'm five sitting in your lap." I say softly not opening my eyes. I feel him move to look down at me.

"That a bad thing?"

"No, not at all." I smile and feel him put his chin on top of my head, and honestly, I don't want him to move. It's peaceful, and I'm relaxed, more relaxed than I've been in forever. I allow myself to forget all the hardships, the struggles, the mines, the whipping, the Capital, the Games. I let it all slip out of my mind for at least these few moments and only focus on the good things. Me, the woods, and Gale.

;;;;;;:::::;;;;;;;

-Gale's POV:

I look down at the beautiful girl in my arms; she keeps her eyes closed though. I'd love to see them though. Over the past week I've grown to love everything about her; her laugh, her smile, her eyes, her sarcastic remarks, her short temper, her smell. Everything. She's almost completely like me, but completely different at the same time. She doesn't mind taking food if she's offered it. She sometimes takes the time to listen before she acts. And she finds my brothers adorable, while I sometimes find them just plain annoying.

Sadly we're only able to stay like this for a few minutes before we have to go again. We need to put the medicine on our backs, no matter how much we both hate it. It's slimy and green and stinks like a dead dog. I get her attention again by softly kissing her temple, her eyes open and she gives me a questioning look. "We have to go back" I tell her, not hiding my disappointment in having to leave here too. She frowns and nods, silently getting up and stretching her legs. I stretch, arching my back and she gives me a glare.

"Not fair" she complains and I just smirk at her. She's cute when she's mad at me, though if she gets really mad it can be scary. I arch my back again, which she isn't allowed to do yet; it'll break the skin if she does.

"Oh well, life's tough."

Once back at her house she goes to find the tube filled with medicine Mrs. Everdeen gave us. I just walk over and sit on her couch like I own the place and wait for Denver to come help me. She comes over and sits next to me as I remove my shirt. I turn my head and grin at her again, I know she likes it when I don't have my shirt on too. She sneers at me.

"If you don't get that arrogant grin off your face I'll hit you were-the-sun-don't-shine Hawthorne" she's completely serious, that's what I mean by her being scary sometimes. I just roll my eyes and turn back around; I know she's pissed about having to do this again. I've learned that when she's pissed, it's best for your health to stay out of her way and not argue unless you have a valid point.

"Ugh" I scorn as the stench of the vile medicine reaches my nose.

"It's worse back here" Denver complains, I get a mental picture of her rolling her eyes. But I don't complain after that, because in all honesty, the stuff really makes your back feel fantastic. Supposedly it helps the healing process for the skin. Ten minutes later Denver stops rubbing the stuff into my back, I hear her gag.

"Gross, your turn." I turn around and see she already as her back turned towards me. I take the medicine and pour some into my hand, I put my hand up her shirt and begin to rub it into her scarred back. I made the suggestion of her taking her shirt off once and that just earned me the right of learning every swear word she knows and almost being punched in the face again. I haven't made that suggestion again. I can't help the sounds of disgust that come from my mouth as the reek fills my nose, she's right; of course, it's totally worse back here.

"Ugh, stop it Gale." Denver whines.

"Why should I, this is totally gut wrenching."

"Because you're the man here and I didn't make a sound when I did it." Ugh, she does have a point there. For the rest of the time I try my best not to make sounds of disgust. It's kinda sad actually, I can kill and skin animals but I can't stand the smell of skin medicine.

"Done" I announce as I put the cap of the tube and throw it across the room. "Oh, I almost forgot to tell you the good news." I tell her, I honestly did forget to tell her.

"What?" she asks as she turns to face me.

"I'm going back to work on Monday." Her face goes completely blank.

**Blarg blarg blarg, that's a fun word. Anyways thanks for reading and please REVIEW! I love the reviews I'm getting for this story they come so fast and make me happy! So here's an embarrassing thing that happened to me at school today:**

**I was going to biology class and I walked in (totally having forgotten that we had lab today and my class was in a different class room) so I go to my desk, so I had completely crossed to the other side of the room. I sit down and I hear "Oh hi -(my name)!" I turn and see my brother's ex-girlfriend (who I'm actually very good friends with) is sitting next me. I'm a freshman and she's a junior. I was like "ughhhhh hi" I looked around the room and then noticed all the juniors and seniors in the class were staring at me. I just sat there for like a minute before I got up and remembered we had lab today. So I practically ran out while the seniors laughed at me :,( it was pretty funny though. **

**So here's a question for y'all! Who's your favorite character in this so far? Personally I like Denver(not cause I created her or anything like that) and I like Lucas, he's actually based off a real person, so is Dalton. But oh well XD Please R-E-V-I-E-W**

**Also, don't you hate it when you forget to press the upload button?**


	13. Chapter 13: No Title gasp

**I'm happy to announce I've finished AND posted the first chapter to my new book which is the last book to a trilogy I'm writing. So sadly updates may come a little slower for this story. This is by far my best story so far though! 32 Reviews! 1,858 Hits! 13 Favorites! 18 Alerts! And we're not even close to the end yet! Well, I guess kinda only like…five or six more chapters. Thank you so much to everybody and please REVIEW!**

_There's a fire starting in my heart, reaching a fever pitch and it's bringing me out the dark. ~Rolling in the Deep, Adele_

Denver's POV:

I feel my expression fall as I frown.

"I'm healed enough to go back, my family needs the money." Gale explains to me, but I knew that already. What I don't like is that I won't get to see him all day, well, most of the day. I was also bummed that Monday was only two days away. So I just sigh and lean back into the couch.

"I know that" I say curtly, "I'll be going back soon myself anyways"

"Yeah, maybe in a week you can come back too, your backs almost better."

"What do you mean _maybe?_" I spit out glaring at him. He just shrugs.

"I mean since your"

"A girl?" I hiss out cutting him off, he stiffens.

"Ya, you might" I've heard enough of him though. I stand up and tower over him as he sits on the couch. My couch.

"I don't fucking care if I'm a girl, I'm going to work as soon as I can Gale! I need money too! I need food, ever since they burned the Hob down food for me costs more!" I lash out and kick the couch with my foot; my eyes go over him sitting on my couch. "And if you're just going to be all sexist on me then get off my couch!" I snap at him. Fire ignites fire, and my curtness has gotten Gale angry now too. He stands, and I turn my back on him and stomp over by the fire.

"I was going to say that naturally men heal faster" he spits out, clearly pissed. I don't answer. "Denver!" he sorta yells at me, mad at my lack of response, I turn to him and raise my eyebrows.

"Oh sorry, was I supposed to care?" I say casually. Gale takes a deep breath, trying to calm himself. It doesn't work and he snaps when I grin.

"UGH! GOD YOU'RE SO FUCKING IMPOSSBILE!" he screams out and I have to keep myself from laughing at him. He runs both of his hands through his hair. He seems to forget my earlier scolding and sits back on the couch, his head in his hands as his body shakes a little and he shakes his head slightly. I can hear him taking deep breaths too.

"I'm so fucking rebellious." I correct him after a while of silence. He turns his head and I can see him glaring daggers at me, I put my hands up in mock defeat. "Just saying. You know Hawthorne; this would just be so much easier if you agreed with me." I cross my arms over my chest as he raises his head. All he does is glare at me for a while.

"Sure it would" his voice is dripping with sarcasm. Then he gets serious, "How about I tell them you'll be back next Friday?" I feel my grin get even wider. I go over and give Gale a hug, which he doesn't return.

"See, agreeing made things easier." I laugh. Gale just groans at me. "Thanks Gale."

"Yeah, yeah"

I get up and go to the kitchen and start to clean the sink full of dirty dishes I have while Gale lounges on my couch. The water comes out ice cold and soon my hands and bright red, I ignore that and keep cleaning. Five minutes later I glance at Gale, he's too big for the couch, his head on one armrest and his feet dangle off the other. His eyes are closed so I assume he's asleep.

"_Remember when I cried to you a thousand times  
>I told you everything<br>You know my feelings  
>It never crossed my mind<br>That there would be a time  
>For us to say goodbye<br>What a big surprise_

_But I'm not lost  
>I'm not gone<br>I haven't forgot_" I sing softly while I do the dishes, I steal another look at Gale, making sure he's asleep. I won't be singing if he was awake. He's out, so I keep going. "_These feelings I can't shake no more  
>These feelings are running out the door<br>I can feel it falling down  
>And I'm not coming back around<br>These feelings I can't take no more  
>This emptiness in the bottom drawer<br>It's getting harder to pretend  
>And I'm not coming back around again<em>

_Remember when..._

_I remember when it was together till the end  
>Now I'm alone again<br>Where do I begin?  
>I cried a little bit<br>You died a little bit  
>Please say there's no regrets<br>And say you won't forget  
>But I'm not lost<br>I'm not gone  
>I haven't forgot." <em>I take a plate and start to dry it with a cloth, after I place it in the cabinet; the door is falling off its hinges. I examine it as I rub my hands together. _"These feelings I can't shake no more  
>These feelings are running out the door<br>I can feel it falling down  
>And I'm not coming back around<br>These feelings I can't take no more  
>This emptiness in the bottom drawer<br>It's getting harder to pretend  
>And I'm not coming back around again<br>Remember when..._

_That was then  
>Now it's the end<br>I'm not coming back  
>I can't pretend<br>Remember When_

_These feelings I can't shake no more  
>These feelings are running out the door<br>I can feel it falling down  
>And I'm not coming back around<br>These feelings I can't take no more  
>This emptiness in the bottom drawer<br>It's getting harder to pretend  
>And I'm not coming back around again" <em>I take another plate and wash it as I smile. I haven't sung anything in a while. I missed it. I look up from the dishes and see Gale, sitting up watching me. Awake. My eyes widen at him and I instantly scowl.

"That was great." He smiles. I look down at the dishes, feeling my face get red again.

"You weren't supposed to hear that, no one does. Ever."

"Sorry, you were great though. You come up with that song?" he sounds actually interested, I still don't look up.

"No, it's an old song, from before the Dark Days."

"Cool. I bet Posy would love to hear you sometime." I look up to see him grinning.

"She has" I say simply, I've sung Gale's sister to sleep before, when he wasn't there, when she was worried about him and Hazelle had asked me to watch them. I forget where Hazelle was at the time, Gale had been in the Justice Building I think.

"When?" Gale asks confused, I sigh and put down my rag, this conversation might take a while. I put my hands on the counter. I'm sick of cleaning anyways.

"I used to watch them when your mom had to go somewhere; I guess you were in the woods or at the Justice Building. I'd sing when she couldn't go to sleep."

"Oh" he looks down and fumbles with his hands. "Thanks."

"No problem, they're really good kids, you're lucky to have them. You're lucky to have a family." I add the last part softly and sigh. Memories of my mother, of my father, and of Kline rush into my head. Then I'm filled with the urge to go see them, I haven't visited Kline since his death. I wipe off my hands one last time. "I'm gunna go for a walk." I say, my voice shakes a little and Gale looks up at me as I put on my father's old coat.

"Want me to come?"

I think about his offer, it would be nice to have company, but I sort of want to go by myself. I guess. "If you want." I decide I won't really care. Once Gale is up we head outside and he follows me as I walk towards the District Twelve graveyard. My feet take themselves to my family's plot. I sink down to my knees before Kline's gravestone. Right beside my father, he wanted it that way. Then I regret having Gale come as I can't help the sob that escapes my lips. I hate it when I cry, I hate it when people see me cry, it's a weakness, I'm not a weak person. The gravestones only have their first names on them, that's all we could afford. No message, no years, nothing to remember them by; only their first name. I let another sob out and stiffen as I try to hold the others back. "Go" I croak out, hoping Gale will hear me.

"What?" he asks softly, I turn to him, tears rolling down my face, my eyes pleading for him to go, to leave me alone. But he doesn't, he does the exact opposite. He comes over and wraps his arms around me and pulls me into a hug. "You can cry" he tells me softly, stroking my hair. With that I completely let go and sobs continuously rake my body and my tears wet Gale's shirt. He rubs his hand up and down my back. "it's okay Den" he soothes to me. I don't know how long we stood there in the cold, but I don't really care. I had finally cried myself out, Gale still held me close to him, by head on his chest.

"I miss them all, all the time." I tell him, he strokes my hair softly again.

"I know, we all miss them."

;;;;::::;;;;;;

I look up as Gale is about to leave my house.

"Sorry about today; I just don't have anyone anymore." I apologize for crying. He smiles back at me.

"You have me; I won't leave you Denver." I smile at his words. I go and hug Gale again, he holds me close for a while until I hear the door open.

"Ha! I knew it!" I hear Lucas cry. I turn, Gale's arms still around me to see Lucas and Dalton standing there. Lucas looks ecstatic, while Dalton is frowning.

"It's about time." Dalton grumbles at us.

"Yes! Thanks to you both, I get two bucks now from Drew!"

"You bet on them getting together?" Dalton asks surprised.

"Of course I did! It's a good bet too, I won didn't I, and _your _my witness." Lucas puts an arrogant grin on his face. "Anyways, we came to see how you two were healing up, but I can see everything's going quiet fine."

Gale hugs me one last time. "I was just leaving. Bye Den see you tomorrow." Gale waves to me before pushing past Dalton and Lucas. Lucas raises his eyebrows at me.

"What's _tomorrow_?" He inquires.

"Saturday" I spit out at him. Lucas puts his hands up.

"Sorry sassy"

"Shut the fuck up before I implode your face" I sneer at him.

"Great to see you too Denver, I'll stop by on Sunday, don't you worry." With that Lucas and Dalton turn and leave. Damn, I hate them.

**Hope you liked it! I've decided there are only five chapters left! Also, there will not be a next book, this is only one book. Please R-E-V-I-E-W! **

**Mocking Verse**


	14. Chapter 14: Hands

**Bahh stupid me living in an old town in the middle of nowhere, I lost power for a bit so I couldn't update for a while. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THE REVIEWS, ALERTS, FAVORITES, WATCHES, EXT! I love all of them! So anyways I found out that I was supposed to be the same day as Josh Hutcherson WHICH WOULD HAVE BEEN FREAKING AMAZING! But alas, I was not oh well. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Let's try to get 50 reviews by March 23****rd****!**

_All the sons and all the daughters stop to take it in, and hopefully the hate subsides. ~Come Home, Faith Hill._

Denver's POV (Monday afternoon):

I wait by the gate leaning against the fence. _I hope he's okay, god I hope he's okay. _My mind worries as I wait for Gale. He didn't ask me to wait for him, but hey, I have nothing to do. Why not wait for the boy I love? I look over to the foreman's office at the sound of a door closing and boots.

"Rowsell! What are you doing? When you coming back to work?" the foreman demands.

"I'm waiting for Hawthorne sir, and I can come back Friday." I say harshly as I stand up straighter.

"Good, you aren't a bad miner at all. Anyways, get home right when they come out, mandatory viewing tonight." I nod my thanks. I hate mandatory viewing; I wonder what it could be? Most likely, something on Katniss. I scoff aloud, she must hate all the attention she gets, I would. The sound of the shaft brings my attention back to the mines. I wait eagerly as the first group of miners comes up, some nod their hello's to me. I nod back as I wait for my crew, for my friend. After about five minutes I recognize my crew and can't help the grin that spreads across my face. Of course _they _don't notice me and go right to get their jackets, I let out a huff and go walk behind Gale. I tap him on the shoulder softly.

"God what the fuck do you want?" he demands sharply, okay, thanks there.

"Geez sorry" I grumble, my voice causes him to spin around, his grimace turns into a smile as he engulfs me in a hug.

"Sorry, I didn't know it was you." He laughs. Wow, he laughed, _inside _the fence, that's like, never been done before. _NEVER._ The rest of our crew notices this too and they stop and stare at us. Gale notices the silence and looks up from me at everyone else; they stand with their mouths open. "What?" he demands.

"Never heard you laugh before Hawthorne." Gary says as he shakes his head, with that everyone else goes back to their own business. Dalton and Lucas walk by and Dalton nudge me in the hips with his and Lucas leans over to my ear.

"I think he likes ya girly." He smirks at me.

"I know he does." I grin and Lucas and Dalton walk off laughing.

"What did they say?" Gale asks as we follow them and turn towards our homes.

"Nothing at all."

"Okay?"

"Oh, mandatory viewing tonight." I remind him, he stiffens right away.

"I know that" he grumbles between clenched teeth. It takes a few minutes but then he relaxes. "Want to watch it at my house?" he asks. I look up and raise my eyebrows at him.

"Really?"

"Yeah sure, not like you have anyone else to watch it with." He shrugs.

"True, very true. Well, I _could _watch it with Haymitch."

"Ya, you'd rather watch with me."

"Okay, I guess you're better than drunkie"

I follow Gale into his house and give Posy a hug as we walk in. I sit on the couch next to Vick as I wait for Gale to change and the viewing to stop. "Are you staying to eat?" Hazelle calls to me from the kitchen.

"No ma'am, I was going to eat at home when the viewing is over." I say politely.

"Okay" I can hear the smile in her voice. Gale walks in just as the television turns on automatically. He stands in front of the couch and glares at Vick until he gets up and Gale sits next to me.

"Not like I was gunna steal your girl Gale" Vick rolls his eyes. I let out a small laugh.

"One, she's not really _my _girls, and two, don't roll your eyes at me!" Gale grins at Vick and Posy laughs at her brothers, I scoot closer to Gale and put my head on his shoulder as President Snow appears on screen. Gale and I simultaneously growl in disgust at the prick. Snow explains that we will be shown Katniss's wedding dresses and then people in the Capital can vote on their favorite. I roll my eyes, I hate dresses really, but Posy and Hazelle immediately lock their eyes on the screen. While the dresses are shown Posy and Hazelle go over how they love each one, Rory even voices his opinion on some. When he says which one is his favorite I know I've found something to tease him about for a few months. "Which one did you like?" Gale whispers in my ear.

"If I have to pick, I like the third one." The third dress is a long white gown and pearls. Pearls everywhere.

"So do I." Gale smirks. I'm about to taunt him when Snow is back on screen, with a boy next to him talking about the Quell.

"For the third Quarter Quell, as a reminder to the Districts that even the strongest of the strong cannot defeat the Capital, this year's tributes will be reaped from the Districts existing pool of victors." My heart stops at his words, and by everyone's confused faces I'm the first to understand. I stand up and I'm dragging Gale with him and shoving him out the door.

"GO TO HER! NOW! GALE GO COMFORT HER!" I'm commanding him to leave. She may have Peeta, but Gale is her best friend too, she'll need him. Gale looks at me confused, not understanding yet. "She's going back in the arena go now!" I give him another shove and it clicks.

"Thank you" he tells me before I watch him sprint down the road towards Victor's Village. Then I break down crying for Katniss. Vick and Rory help me to the couch where I put my head in my hands, the broadcast is over now. After a few minutes I look up from my hands and glare at the television.

"It's not fair! Nothing they do is fair! They don't fuckin' care about us!" I yell, Rory slams his hand over my mouth. My eyes narrow at him but he points to Posy with his free hand, who is staring at me, eyes the size of saucers. Whoops. I slowly move Rory's hand. "Sorry Posy, don't say that word. Ugh, I'll leave now." I get up and walk briskly to the door before I turn to Hazelle. "Sorry Hazelle, thank you for letting me watch with you." I nod to her.

"No problem Denver" she smiles sadly at me. I go in my house and stand there for about ten seconds before taking my pick axe and hurling it at the wall. There's a loud ripping noise as my almost healed skin rips open.

"FUCK! FUCK THEM ALL!" I scream outraged as I feel the pain sharply come all at once to my back. The axe weighed too much for my new skin. At least it's only a little bit, not my whole back, I'll still go back on Friday, I'll be fine, hopefully. I ignore the pain for now and proceed to break anything in my reach, hurling it at the wall, pretending its Snow's fucking face. By the end of my rampage I have about two plates left out of the ten I did have, I only have three out of eight cups I had before too. Dammit. I don't even pick up the mess, I go and sit at the table and slouch over. My shirt is drenched in blood from the reopened skin, whatever, the ripe itself isn't bleeding, I can feel that. Soon I just fall asleep at the table.

;;;;::::;;;;;

I wake up to someone shaking me lightly. I lift my head and look to see Gale; he stares into my eyes worried. "What happened?" he asks a bit surprised. I throw my hands up dramatically in the air.

"Ask the Capital! Wait, no, on second thought, they won't care!" I spit out harshly Gale narrows his eyes.

"No really!" he demands getting angry at me now.

"I through my pick axe," I motion to the thing that is stuck in the wall, "and it ripped my skin a bit," I motion to my red back, "then for good measure I broke some stuff pretending it was that asshole's face"

"Really? I thought I was the one with anger issues here." He grumbles as he lifts up the back of my shirt to look at it, I don't even object.

"How is she?" I asks genuinely worried.

"She's okay; she went to Haymitch and got drunk. She was with her mom and Prim when I left. Peeta is going to have them start to train like Careers until the reaping." I flinch as he touches my cut.

"Great"

"Ya, I gotta go, you should clean this up you know. If a peacekeeper comes and asks what happened don't tell them what you told me."

"Maybe they'll like my opinion" Gale sighs deeply.

"You're insane" he mumbles just loud enough for me to hear.

"Love you too Gale" I grin; I didn't realize what I said until he looks at me and raises his eyebrows. I haven't said that since I did when I was hurt. I raise mine back and widen my grin into a smile.

"Bye Denver"

;;;;;::::;;;;;;

_Over the next few days I continue to meet Gale at the mines every day after the mines close, I even walk with him there in the mornings. During the day I help Katniss, Peeta, and Haymitch train. Peeta has turned into a no-nonsense hard core trainer; he has good reason to be though. On Friday I return to the mines. The work is harder than usual because I haven't worked in a while. Gary lets me break for lunch early though and when everyone else comes over Gale sits beside me and he puts his arm around my shoulders. We're teased the whole time but it's nice. By the end of the day I'm exhausted and ready to fall down dead. But I make it home. _

_Gradually work gets easier and easier until it's nothing again. We work our asses off for little to nothing, on Sundays I go with Gale, Katniss, Peeta, and Haymitch into the woods and watch as Gale teaches them all he knows about snares. The day before the reaping I wait outside for Gale. It's warmer now, the snow has melted and it's nice out, I no longer need my coat. Our backs are fully healed, but the scars are prominent on us both, we'll never be allowed to forget what happened. I hop off my porch as Gale comes out, he hugs Posy and so do I. After he greets me with a smile and we start walking down towards the mines. My free hand swings back and forth as we walk side by side. It goes and hits Gale's; instead of ignoring it Gale takes my hand in his and intertwines our fingers. I look up at him with a confused face. He smiles and squeezes my hand with his. _

**Did you like it? I hope so, well, I always hope you like it. I don't really write it and think damn I hope they hate every single word that I write. No, that wouldn't be good. ANYWAYS thought I'd share what someone at school called me that made my day: Mellark. I was like OMG YES I LOVE YOU YOU CAN SO CALL ME THAT! It was awesome, I guess it's cause I only talk about the HG at school and stuff, but still it made me the happiest person in the world! Also I'm on the school newspaper staff and I get to write a review on the hunger games book AND movie! YAAA I GET TO SAY WHATEVER I WANT TO TOO! I should so just be like President Snow is a total bitch so yeah don't like him. Lol jk I'd probably get suspended or get detention for that or something. So yeah, please REVIEW! Next chapter is the reaping and games! So it will be pretty long!**

**Mocking Verse**


	15. Chapter 15: Quell

**I've decided to start responding to all of your reviews now! So yeah, enjoy this chapter! My goal is for it to have at least 3000 words so hopefully I reach that. **

**pirate-princess1**- Aww thanks I figured that since Katniss is Gale's friend she should care about her at least a little bit.

**JohnnyStormsGirl- **You'll like the next chapter ;)

**Meganlucindaxo**- She might make it to Thirteen, haven't really decided that yet.

**Katnissforlife- **Sadly I do not to go R.H.S but trust me, if I did, I would've tracked you down and been like Denver and Gale want a cupcake.

_He's no good girl, what can't you see, he'll take your heart and break it listen to me! ~Good Girl, Carrie Underwood._

Denver's POV:

I look up briefly to the sky as rain begins to fall softly on the population of Twelve, who is gathered in the square. I then turn my attention back to the stage, where a less exuberant Effie Trinket has taken the stage.

"Welcome, and happy Hunger Games." She announces. I look to the front and see Katniss is a section all by herself, I see the glass ball, with one slip of paper. "Ladies first!" Effie tells us. She makes her way over to the ball. It takes her a while to catch the one slip of paper. "Katniss Everdeen" I can't help the sound that comes out of my throat, I've become friends with Katniss over the past few weeks. Gale squeezes my hand and I look up at him, his eyes are sad and soft too.

"We'll see her after to say goodbye" he reminds me, I just nod and turn back to the reaping. Katniss stands on the stage, her eyes search the crowd, they lock on Gale and I. With my free left hand I put three fingers to my lips and extend them out to her. Slowly, everyone follows my lead, Katniss nods to us and Effie has tears going down her face as she goes to the boy's ball. I know who it will be already. Peeta. Even if he's not picked, he'll volunteer.

"Haymitch Abernathy" Effie calls out, Haymitch makes his way up the stage, as soon as his feet stop Peeta moves forward.

"I volunteer!" He calls out. They trade places, then, once again everyone salutes him as well. The anthem plays and then they are taken away. Gale and I quickly turn to go say goodbye. When we get there, there are peacekeepers.

"No goodbye's this year." One says coldly.

"What? No, there has to be!" I yell in his face.

"New procedure, Snow's orders." He turns his gun so it faces me, I glare at him then Gale is pulling me away.

"Nothing we can do about it now." He whispers in my ear, I just nod.

;;;;;;::::::;;;;;;;

I sit squashed between Gale and Vick on the couch. Tonight's the interviews and once again I was invited over to watch it at Gale's, I was just here last night to see training scores. The reaction for our tributes was fantastic all around the District. People were all in the streets cheering for Katniss and Peeta. Gale even got excited and picked me up and spun me in a circle with a wide smile on his face. Work was even fun today, some of the crews started singing songs, so the mines echoed all of our songs all day long. I also learned that Dalton and Lucas are some of the worst singers ever.

I watch as Cashmere takes the stage and sits next to Caesar. She starts the ball rolling with a speech about how she just can't stop crying when she thinks of how much the people in the Capital must be suffering because they will lose their victors. Gloss recalls the kindness shown there to him and his sister. Beetee questions the legality of the Quell in a nervous, twitchy way, wondering if it's been fully examined by experts of late. Finnick Odair reads a poem about his one true love. Johanna Mason asks if something can be done to change this, because surely the creators of the Quarter Quell never anticipated such love forming between victors and the Capital. Seeder says how in her district everyone assumes Snow is all powerful, and if he is, why doesn't he change this? Chaff, who comes after her, says he could if he wanted too but he must not think it matters to anyone. When Katniss goes up, the crowd is calling, no, demanding for change. Change they won't get. The sight of Katniss in her wedding dress causes a riot, people screaming even louder. Gale pulls me closer to him as Katniss says how sorry she is no one will get to see her and Peeta's wedding. Then she stands, raises her arms above her head, and begins to spin.

Hazelle gasps as Katniss's dress catches afire and begins to burn away. You can see the shock in Katniss's eyes but she keeps spinning, then, she's a Mockingjay. By the time everyone is over the skeptical and Cinna is given credit, Katniss's time is up. I watch, still stunned at Cinna, while Peeta comes on stage. Peeta and Caesar briefly make jokes about fire and feathers and overcooked poultry, which at some I find myself laughing along with them. Then Caesar gets to the point. "So, Peeta, what was it like when, after all you've been through, you found out about the Quell?"

"I was in shock. I mean, one minute I'm seeing Katniss looking so beautiful in all these wedding gowns, and the next…" Peeta trails off.

"You realized there was never going to be a wedding?" Caesar asks gently. Peeta doesn't respond right away, but he looks right out to the audience, right at the camera.

"Caesar, do you think all our friends can keep a secret?" he acts. Hello Peeta, the whole nation is watching, there are no secrets. Caesar seems uncomfortable for a moment then laughs.

"I feel quite certain of it"

"We're already married." Peeta says quietly. Gale stiffens behind me and I softly squeeze his hand.

"But . . . how can this be?" Peeta goes on to explain how in Twelve we toast the bread, and how he and Katniss just went and did it one day. He says how no one was there, Haymitch didn't even know until now. He says how there would be no toasting in the Capital, and no one really feels married until they do it. "So this was before the Quell?"

"Of course before the Quell. I'm sure we'd never have done it after we knew." Peeta is starting to get a bit pissed at Caesar. "But who could've seen it coming? No one. We went through the Games, we were victors, everyone seemed so thrilled to see us together, and then out of nowhere-I mean, how could we anticipate a thing like this?"

"You couldn't Peeta." Caesar puts an arm around Peeta's shoulders. "As you say, no one could've. But I have to confess, I'm glad you two had at least a few months of happiness together." Every in the Capital starts to applaud, while I stroke Gales hand with my finger, he's pissed himself now too.

"I'm not glad" Peeta says harshly. "I wish we had waited until the whole thing was done officially."

"Surely a brief time is better than no time." Caesar smiles.

"Maybe I'd think that, too, Caesar," Peeta says bitterly, "if it weren't for the baby."

Before I can think Gale's up and out of the door. Great, just fantastic. I'd go after him now, but I can't, I'm not allowed. I watch for about two minutes more, and my heart swells when the victors all join hands. Yes, this is the beginning, the beginning of maybe something new. As soon as the screen goes black I'm also out the door. Where could he have gone? Think, Denver, think, if you were Gale and you were super pissed, where would you go at night? The Hob, but no, there is no more Hob. To Katniss's house? No, not there. Then it hits me.

Woods.

I take off sprinting through the Seam until I reach the fence, sure enough, his footprints are there, I can see them in the moonlight. I stalk silently through the woods, I know where the clearing is where we would all meet for training, but it wasn't dark then. I make my way deeper into the dark woods. He better be in here.

Soon I do make it to the clearing, which is a feat in itself for me. I can't see much though through the darkness, so I stand on the edge still in the trees until my eyes can adjust to the night. Soon I can make out the rocks near the drop-off that goes into the valley, then I see Gale on the rocks, head in his hands. Slowly I make my way towards him, like you would a wounded animal, trying not to startle him. I stop only a few feet in front of him. "Gale" my voice is barely above a whisper. He looks up, confusion flashes over his face.

"Why are you here?" he asks me, his voice louder than mine had been.

"I figured you'd come here" is all I answer.

"You know what the worst part of this is?" he asks me seriously. I kinda do, that baby is going to die, no doubt about it. Even if Katniss does somehow win then the physical state she will be in will kill the child. But I don't say that a loud, because I know Gale doesn't mean the worst part in that way. So he answers anyways without me saying anything. "I can't even hate him one bit for it. He's too nice; he's too much of a good person. You can't get mad at him, there's nothing to be mad at him about." I go and sit down cross legged in front of Gale and nod.

"I know, but, did you ever think. That maybe he's lying?" Gale's face goes blank, unreadable, at my suggestion. I mean, Peeta could've, he's a master with his words. He could lie about anything and make people believe him; hell, he could probably convince me that it would be safe to go up and punch Thread in the face. He can convince people to do anything, to believe anything he wants them too. It makes perfect sense, because Katniss isn't acting different at all. It's the perfect lie to get sponsors, because everyone who isn't there closest friends won't see it's a lie. I've only figured this because I've been thinking about it during the hours I've spent searching for Gale.

"He could be; I mean it's, it would make sense." I smile at Gale's answer.

"Exactly, so just look at it that way."

"Okay, thanks." Gale runs his hand through his hair, something he does when he's nervous. I smile and laugh.

"You missed the best part though"

"What?"

"They all joined hands at the end, all of them, all of the victors, all of the districts, one unifying line. Together." Before I can even finish Gale has scooped me up and spins me around in a circle, I lock my hands around his neck so I don't fall.

"That _is _great!" He cheers as he puts me back down and I return my hands back to my sides. "It's the beginning of something Den. Maybe it'll actually happen! You've heard the talk while we work, people _want _to rebel, they want change! Katniss said there was an uprising in Eight, if they can have one there, why not here? Why not everywhere!" He has that fire in his eyes again. This could be it then, it could actually happen. Twelve can't rebel now, not right away. But maybe in the future, the _near_ future we could. Great minds think alike. "Maybe not right now, but soon we could. Maybe once enough of the other Districts are, then we could follow suit. Then we could"

"Ya, we could, but come on dreamy, let's get back before your mom sends Vick and Rory out to find us." I take his hand and start to pull him along.

;;;;::::;;;;;

I sit once again next to Gale to watch the third day of the Quarter Quell. So far, Katniss has teamed up with quite a large alliance, Peeta has died and been brought back to life, and they've figured out the arena is a giant clock. The District Three guy, Beetee, has come up with this weird confusing plan on harnessing electricity from lightning and making the water go to the highly conductive sea; whatever that means, I don't know. Right now, it shows the 'super alliance' as the commentators call them, making their way to the lightning tree.

I turn abruptly as Peacekeepers burst through the door. We all turn and look at him; the braid I was making in Posy's hair comes out of my hands as she too turns her head. "Viewing check, your clear" the lady tells us before turning on her heel and struts out. We look back to the Quell.

"Do you think it'll work?" I ask looking to Gale.

"It might, Beetee seems to know what he's talking about." I nod; I think the guy's crazy personally, always has that wire with him.

The alliance finally makes it to the lightning tree and Beetee and Finnick start to wrap wire around the tree. We get a glimpse of Katniss and Peeta sitting off to the side together. And then Brutus and Enobaria, as they argue on what direction to go in.

"I told you they're going to that damn tree!" Enobaria snarls at her district partner.

"Fine, we should hurry then" Brutus finally agrees and they start off from the beach towards the woods.

It shows Beetee finishing up on his experiment as he hands a coil of wire to Johanna. "Make sure it sinks, then get outta there." He's instructing them.

"I want to go too." Peeta says instantly. Katniss goes over to him.

"Peeta, you're too slow, we'll meet up with you guys later, promise."

"Katniss is right, if the girls are to make it, they need to leave now." Beetee adds his two sense. Peeta gives in finally; he takes Katniss's face in his hands and kisses her.

"See you soon" he nods, then the girls turn and run off through the jungle.

I turn away from the screen and stand up, stretching my legs and arms. We've been watching for three hours already, we got work off today just to see if Beetee's plan will work. I stare out of the window at the Seam, the empty streets. I feel hands go on my shoulders, I look back and grin at Gale. "What's wrong?" he asks me concerned. I shake my head.

"I just have this feeling that something is going to happen." I shrug it off as Gale's face goes serious, and then he kisses my cheek.

"Come on, we have to watch." Gale leads me back over to the couch, I see that Katniss now has the wire. Then it cuts to Enobaria, right by the wire. She takes it and rips it with her teeth. Shit, the wire curls back to Katniss and Johanna and they stop dead in their tracks. Then it all happens too fast. Johanna jumps on Katniss, driving the coil into her skull, leaving a visible indent. She proceeds to gouge at her arm with her knife. _That's where her tracker is._ I think. Johanna stops when Enobaria is getting closer, she takes off running.

It shows Finnick telling Peeta to stay there, then he goes off. Soon Brutus comes and attacks Beetee, almost killing him before Peeta drives his knife through him. The cannon goes off. It shows Finnick flying through the woods, Katniss hiding from him, she's managed to get up. She keeps saying Peeta's name as she struggles. Beetee lies unconscious on the ground. Peeta screams for Katniss as he runs, farther from her, while he looks for her. Finnick catches Enobaria and kills her. Another cannon. Johanna is still running. Katniss sees the wire from Beetee, she sees the knife that it's wrapped around. She wraps the wire around her arrow. She points it towards the woods, then changes her mind about something and aims it. Out of the arena? The lightning strikes, Katniss lets the arrow fly. The arena bursts into flames as the force field is destroyed. Then, everyone goes black. Everything in District Twelve goes out.

My stomach gets a pit feeling in it. I get to my feet, no one else moves. The whole District is quiet, holding their breath. What just happened? Slowly I watch as Gale gets up too, together we carefully walk out onto the porch. Slowly the people of the Seam come from their houses. We all just stare at each other, no one speaks. And then.

An ear piercing scream fills the air; I look up to see a hovercraft, no hovercrafts, about thirty above us in the skies. The bottom opens, and then something falls to the ground. An explosion shakes the ground. I turn to Gale horrified.

District Twelve is being bombed. By the Capital.

**Did you enjoy it? I hope so, I can't wait to wright the next chapter! But I need to decide how to start it first, hmmm. Only three more chapters left But I did come up with an idea! But I can't tell you yet cause then it would give away the ending of this story. Anyways, please review!**

**Mocking Verse**

**PS: I came so close to my 3000 words, I got 2,987**


	16. Chapter 16: Bombs

**Okay, heres a chapter I've been looking forward to writing ever since this story started. Hope you enjoy! Not my usual heading cause I'm not listening to music instead seeing how long I can stay awake. (joy for my wonderfully curious teenage mind I bet I'll regret it in the morning but oh well it's one already) Please review!**

Denver's POV:

It doesn't take long at all before Gale has a plan on what to do. "We need to get everyone to the woods, and fast. Common." Gale tells me and his family, I stand beside Gale as we work together to convince people to follow us, we go and lead them to the clearing and go a little beyond that. Gale turns around after, I barely hear his words over the sound of District Twelve being bombed to rubble. "I'm going to get more people" he tells me sternly. I nod.

"I'm coming with you." He stares at me for a moment then nods. "Everyone stay put, if the bombs get closer then move deeper in the woods." I tell them before Gale and I are racing back through the woods. The woods are fully alive now, birds flying away from the District even some deer are out and racing away from the noise. We go through the opening in the fence and run back into our District. It's almost unrecognizable already, I can see the bakery, obliterated, nothing but dust and rubble except for a melted oven. My home. Gone. Most of the Seam itself is already gone. I catch sight of our mining crew and we go over to them. "You need to get in the woods, its safest there." I tell them all right away, they nod and join the people behind us. I turn back to Gale. "You take them back we can save more if we split up." I yell over the raid. He nods bluntly and then I race off deeper into the District towards the Square. As I run a bomb lands not even thirty feet away from me and I'm blown onto my face. I can feel the rocks and ash that covers me as I force myself up and to just keep moving. I find a crowd of merchant people all huddled together. "Come with me, I'll take you in the woods, its safe there." That's all I need to say to them to get them to follow. The trip back to the fence with these people is the hardest; repeatedly I'm blown to the ground as are my followers. But I always get up, always keep moving. If you stop you die.

I skid to a stop along the road though, a building fallen over now in our path as it continues to burn. I wave the people over in a new direction, but I don't speak. The air is a hazy gray as disturbed coal dust and smoke fill the atmosphere that surrounds Twelve. It takes longer to get to the fence, but once we're in sight of it I see Gale waiting there and I know these are the last people we can get out alive. I stop as I see Gale's grief stricken face as the people I have led go under and deeper in the woods.

"Rory, he went back in, to get Prim. I'm going back in, you lead them deeper in." Gale explains to me in a rush of words. Immediately I grab his arm.

"No, you know where it's safest, you go in the woods, and I'll find the kids." Gale looks back over the District, fully ablaze and all going to burn down as bombs rain down, we need to move soon, they'll bomb where we're standing.

"Why you?"

"Because you might die getting them out. And I couldn't live if you died. If I die, no one will care, no one cares about me Gale. I have nothing left anyways." I explain in a rush, his face softens at my words.

"I do Den, I care." I let the smile come to my face at is words.

"I'll try to come out, I promise, I need to go now though." I turn around but Gale grabs my hand. As I turn around his arms snakes around my waist as he brings me closer to him. I feel his hand go on the side of my face, and then his lips are on my own; forceful, passionate. I don't even try to resist him, because that's a fight I can't win, and one I don't want to win. He doesn't even stop for a breath as he kisses me again; his hand goes down so it rests on my back and beckons me closer to him. Soon I'm right up against him, no space left between us. It's the sound of a nearby bomb that makes us pull apart and his forehead rests on mine.

"I love you" he breaths, I kiss him quickly again before I back away.

"I love you too Gale." And then I turn and run back into the flaming District.

;;;:::;;;

-Gale's POV:

I watch her until I can't see her anymore, I swallow the lump that forms in my throat and turn and go back in the woods. It doesn't take me long to find the people we've saved. I take a deep breath before I speak. "All of you, follow me, we're going to the lake!" my voice echoes throughout the clearing so everyone stops and looks at me. I walk to the front, where I see my mother, Vick, and Posy. I look at my mother, tears in her eyes. I hug her tightly to me, "She went to find him mom, he'll be okay." I pull away and she nods. Then I take Posy's hand in mine and we start walking to the lake. About two hundred people follow me.

An hour later we reach the lake, I make sure everyone is settled down; everyone sits on the grass now. They hold their families close to themselves. I look for my family. I easily find them. "Are they back yet?" My mother asks, tears still in her eyes. I look around and don't see Rory, Prim, or Denver. I shake my head.

"No, I'm going back to the fence to see if I can see them." I say sternly, she nods and I turn and start to run back.

I stop when I reach the fence; my eyes take in the horrific sight of my District, burning, bombs still falling. I stand there and look out. "Rory!" I scream over the explosions. I barely hear my response.

"Gale!" I hear Rory yell, I have to squint to see the three figures sprinting towards me. Two in the front, Rory and Prim, and then one lagging behind them, Denver. My eyes widen as I see a bomb falling towards them.

"Run! Rory run faster!" I yell as loud as I can. All three figures somehow move faster, and then I can see their faces, Rory and Prim's. Black and burned, their clothes tattered. Denver lags even farther behind then she did before. I can now tell she's coughing, badly, she's limping too, her left leg is black. I scoop Rory up as he reaches me in my arms; I hug him close and then put him down. "Go, go in the woods, I'll meet you just go strait." I tell him quickly, he nods and takes Prim's hand. They disappear in the woods. I start running to Denver, but then I see her waving me off.

"Go back!" her hoarse voice barely reaches me. I stop and stare, she keeps waving me away. I turn and run back to the fence, I'm halfway under when I look back. The whole world seems to slow down to this one moment and my stomach feels like a never ending pit.

I watch as a bomb falls from one of the last hovercrafts right above Denver. I watch as it falls to the ground. I watch as Denver looks up and sees it coming. I watch she waves me forward again.

"GO GALE!" I hear her scream. And then I watch helpless as the bomb hits right behind her. I watch as she's catapulted high into the air by the force of the bomb. I watch as she flies through the air. I watch as her body slams back into the ground. I'm vaguely aware of someone screaming, of someone crying out, before I realize it's me. I watch hopelessly as she doesn't move. I look at her, lying there, her hand reaching out towards me still. And then I turn and run into the woods. And for once I cry, I cry for the girl I've lost. I've lost the girl I loved. I lost her while _she_ saved _my_ brother.

**Sorry it's so short, but I hoped you liked it. This isn't the end by the way, two more chapters left! Please please please review!**

**Mocking Verse**


	17. Chapter 17: Squad 451

**Sorry the updates will be coming a little slower now with track starting up again, and the fact that I've decided to sell my horse to get a new one, but I'll try to get them up when I can. I know I said I was going to alternate between stories, but I figured I'd just finish this story. So enjoy the second to last chapter!**

Who are you when I'm not looking? ~Who Are You When I'm Not Looking, Blake Shelton

Denver's POV:

"Hey! This one's alive still!" my eyes flutter open at a rough voice and the sound of feet hurrying over to me. When my eyes come to focus I see a group of men standing over me, four to be exact. They all are in uniforms, but these aren't Capital soldiers. One man, he looks to be around thirty-two, waves his hand in front of my face. "Hey, can you hear us?" he asks, he was the voice I heard from before.

"Where's Gale?" I ask hoarsely, my throat is tight and dry. They all share a confused look at each other.

"We don't know who you're talking about. But common, you're lucky you're alive. Our hovercraft leaves soon, we can bring you back to District Eight." What? District Eight? Why there? I try to sit up but then pain shoots through my chest and I collapse back to the ground.

"You have some broken ribs, leg too. Stay still, we can carry ya." Another man smiles down at me.

"Who, who are you? Why are we going to Eight?" I stutter. The oldest out of the group, the leader I'm guessing, because he has this weird thing on his wrist, just shakes his head at me.

"We'll explain on the way to Eight, it's a long story." So they pick me up and take me to their hovercraft. Once I'm seated the group sits around me, their leader in front of me. This is what he tells me:

It's been three days since District Twelve was destroyed, by the Capital, after the victors broke out of the arena. Panem is now in a full scale rebellion; the Districts against the Capital. District Thirteen does exist, they are on our side, and they are headquarters. The other headquarters is District Eight, that's where we are going. Thirteen found two hundred people who had made it out of Twelve, they are now in Thirteen. Some of the victors are in Thirteen; like Katniss, Beetee, and Finnick. Others are prisoner in the Capital; Johanna, Enobaria, and to my horror, Peeta.

It's a lot for me to take in. _So it's finally happening. This is it, this is change._ But I just nod. Gale must be in Thirteen then, along with Vick, and Rory, and Posy. Even Prim and Mrs. Everdeen. Good. Then I look to the leader, whose name is Carter, right in the eyes. "I want in, I want to fight." He grins and nods to me.

;;;;;::::;;;;;

Over the next nine months I train, I work, I fight. I try to contact Gale too, but I'm unable too, it's too risky to contact Thirteen unless absolutely necessary. First I spend two months recovering from my injuries. I watch television; I see Katniss, the Mockingjay, and Peeta, beaten and abused.

I spend two more months training, I excel in training, I'm the top in my class. I'm immediately sent to District One to fight those who are still loyal to the Capital; right away I'm promoted to second in command in my squad after just the first mission. From District One I'm sent to District Seven, where I am told that this will be my permanent place of service. Also there, I find my greatest weapon. It's something I never thought I had, not the ability to use a gun, or a bow, or an axe. It's my ability to use words. How I don't need to think about it, I say what I know will bring the people to our side. And it works too; fighting in District Seven has a surge of victory under my influence. I begin to get the positions to actually lead the fighting myself.

But I still think of Gale, every day I do. No matter how much success I obtain, I'm never truly happy. My men think of me as heartless, they think I only think of war. I watch Gale gain success himself; I see him on screens with Katniss, I see him being the mastermind to the plan to take down the still resisting District Two. I see him lead the mission to rescue the victors from the Capital. And he succeeds, with all of it he succeeds. His plans are flawless, complex, and very well planned. I watch as Peeta heals himself from abuse from the Capital. I hear rumors that he's not the same, that he no longer loves Katniss. And my heart goes out to her for that. But I watch Katniss on screen too, I watch her be the symbol for the rebellion, she's our Mockingjay, we look to her. I watch her visit the dying, the wounded. And I listen to her words. _If we burn, you burn with us. _Her quote is the most powerful thing in this war, which I use in my own speeches that I'm assigned to give. To rally the soldiers.

Me, myself, I'm shown occasionally on television myself, for anything that has to do with Seven. I become the leader, the military leader of District Seven. Commander Roswell. All in my hands, all for me to do with what I like. And I keep Seven strong, willing, dedicated to the rebellion.

But I don't recognize myself in the mirror anymore. No, I'm not the same girl. Not the same girl who would chase Gale in the meadow when she was young. Not the same girl who prayed that Gale talk to her at least once. Not the girl that went to work in the mines, terrified. Not the girl that grew in the mines, that got stronger. Not even the girl who would sit next to Gale on the couch, who would go closer to him, and think how easy it is to be with him. No, I'm nothing without Gale. No more glint in my eyes, that happy glint. Sure, the fire is still there, always will be, but my expression is always serious. I can't remember the last time I've laughed. No, the girl in the military uniform, with this gun always strapped around her. That's not me, not who I am.

I get to the point where I don't even want to see Gale's face on the television, because it just hurts too much to see it. It makes my heart ache. I don't want to see him, yet I have too. So that I know he's okay. I don't even talk about it; no one knows what I had, what I hope I still have, with Commander Gale Hawthorne.

;;;:::;;;

-Gale's POV:

As I lie in my tent, my thoughts drift to Denver, they always do. Where is she? Well, I know that answer, she's in District Seven. But what is she doing? What is she thinking? Is she even happy? I know, no, I don't know if I'm happy. I miss her; I miss her more than I've ever missed anyone who isn't my family. But I know she's a success. I can see that on the televisions.

"What are you thinking?" I look over and see Peeta, handcuffs on, lying on his sleeping bag, looking up at him. I'm on my watch for him now.

"Denver" I reply simply, he grins up at me.

"That's always your answer."

"That's always the truth."

;;;::::;;;;

-Denver's POV:

I sit on the bench while I wait for the train to arrive. We get three new recruits today, coming in from District Eleven. I look up as it pulls up to a stop. I stand up straight; I'm supposed to look official and everything. I catch sight of the three men who hop off the train; I start my way towards them. But when I see their faces, I stop dead in my tracks. I feel my grin widen on my face as I shake my head. No, it can't be them, not these three. But it is, and I couldn't be happier, well I could, if it was Gale. But it's not. But I smile anyways. "Hey, soldiers!" I bark out at them, I can hear the smile in my own voice. They turn to fully face me. Then I run and throw my arms around the closest one of them.

"Hey there girly" Lucas jokes in my ear. He holds me out arm's length and whistles. "Look at you, _Commander_!" I roll my eyes.

"Yea, I must try harder than you, _private." _Lucas scoffs at me, then I get out of his grasp and hug the other two. Dalton and Andrew. "Look at you guys, common' let's go get a drink, we have a lot of talking to do, and we've got time." With that they all nod and begin to follow me through the district, which I've memorized like the back of my hand, and the back of Gale's hand.

Once we reach a bar we order drinks and start to catch up. These three have always stuck together; Lucas is a private, Dalton a Sargent and Andrew is a staff-Sargent. I'm sad to learn that Gary was killed, back in District Five. Ron has also been killed. I tell them about myself, how I've risen through the ranks. Lucas jokes about how he's surprised I never tell anyone to fuck off in any of my speeches, which of course at that comment I do tell him to fuck off. Then, a bit after three, the televisions all light up. The Capital symbol appears and immediately everyone in the bar is on their feet. I'm right up in front of the screen too. We see President Snow then and I cringe.

"I am pleased to announce that today; only minutes ago, we have destroyed this threat everyone calls the Mockingjay." I almost faint, but I don't. I just gulp down the lump in my throat. "We are proud to announce that during this, we have taken out all of those who were part of Squad 451." I heart drops, whoever was with Katniss is dead. Then footage on the screen, a squad goes into a building. Minutes later, the building is blown to pieces. And then the faces appear as Snow calls them by name. "Of course, Katniss Everdeen. Finnick Odair. Peeta Mellark. Gale Hawthorne." And at that name, I'm running, I'm screaming and running away. Because it's not true. It can't be true. Gale is alive. He has to be. He can't die. _**He**_ can't. He's Gale, Gale Hawthorne. Gale Hawthorne can't die!

But he is. I saw the footage. No one can survive that. And with this realization, I sink to my knees. And I do something I haven't done, since that day in the woods with Gale, the first time. I cry. Because when that face appeared on the screen, my heart went with it. Because part of, a huge reason of why I still saw reason to live my life. Was because there was Gale. And now, even that is gone.

**sad chapter I know I'm horrible. But, if you know what happens in Mockingjay, then no need to fret! Please press that amazing little button under this sentence, it'll only take two seconds!**

**Mocking Verse.**


	18. Chapter 18: Speeches

**I SAW THE MIDNIGHT PREMIERE OF THE HUNGER GAMES AND OMG I LOVED IT! Sure it was a bit different but it was still great! It defiantly helps if you've read the book though! I do have emotions but I didn't cry when Rue died…I almost balled my eyes out when Cato did though! I'm thinking as a "minor team" I'm gunna have to be Team Cato. Thus the idea for me writing a Cato story sometime! I'm thinking of something else…but I can't tell you yet hehehe. Anyways I've decided there will be one more chapter after this, it will be an epilogue. So without further ado, the ending. **

_Set you on the counter, oh at least a time or two. ~She Wouldn't be Gone, Blake Shelton_

Denver's POV:

"Denver?" I hear Lucas ask me from the rocking chair that I've been sitting in the past two days, staring endlessly into the flames of my fireplace. Lucas doesn't give up though, he comes over and puts his hands on my knees and crouches down so he's lower than me. Like someone talks to a scared three-year-old, which is what I feel like anyways. I don't look at him though, I'm not really looking at anything, I'm lost, in my head really. "Hey, Denver? You there?" he asks me again, shaking my leg slightly. I don't focus on him though, and he knows it. He's been taking care of me, him, Dalton, and Andrew, he won't leave until he gets a response. "Denver, common I have some good news for you." At this I blink a few times and focus on Lucas's face, he smiles at me. "There you are." He grins, I just nod slowly.

"Gale?" I say. It's the only word I've said for the past fifty hours or so. Even when I fell asleep, I'd wake up screaming his name, screaming for him to run. Whenever someone comes to see me, I ask for him, trying to convince myself that he's not gone, that he's alive. But I always get the same answer, the same reaction, now is no different. Lucas comes and wraps his arms around me and I lean into him as more sobs rack my body and I cry on his shoulder.

"No Denver, not Gale" he soothes in my ear. He strokes up and down my back. "Shh it's okay, it's okay Denver." He tries to calm me down. I heard him talking to Dalton the other night, as I sat dazed staring into the flames. They didn't know I loved him _this _much. They didn't know we loved each other so much. Eventually I do calm down and lean back in my chair and wait for the 'good news'. Lucas looks me strait in the eyes, the eyes that are lifeless, no spark, and even now, no flame. That died with Gale. "Denver, they got Snow, the war is over." He tells me. Instantly there's a flare of pride that runs through me, I even almost fully smile. Almost. The tips of my lips go up a little. Lucas sighs and pats my leg. "They want you to do a speech, this afternoon, they specifically requested you do it, they as in Coin and District Thirteen, they know you're good with words."

Good with words. I guess I am. I guess I could give a speech, about freedom, about new life. Then I can just go sit in a hole and die. Yes, that's a splendid plan. Slowly I nod. "Okay"

;;;::::;;;

I sigh and straiten my uniform one more time. I'm not even nervous, I don't even have anything planned to say. I never plan, the words just come. I look out over the crowd as I stand off to the side and wait for the mayor of Seven to present me.

"And now, Commander Rowsell! Leader of District Seven!" he says gaily as he turns and smiles at me. I manage a small grin and make my way up to the podium. I look out over the people; men, women, children, civilians, soldiers. I straiten myself and hold my chin high and take a deep breath before I begin my speech.

"Thank you mayor." I nod my head in his direction. "I am very pleased to announce the capture of Snow and thus, the end of the war. The rebellion has been a success." The crowd erupts into cheers, whoops, and applause and I wait for them to quiet down again. Then I downcast my eyes. "But this was not possible without sacrifice, without dedication, without you. Everyone has suffered, no one has gone unchanged by this war. Lives forever changed, never again to be the same. Some more than others. But, all was not done in vain. We have overthrown the most powerful and cruel government this world has ever known. There will be no more suffering, no more starving, no more unfair punishments, no more avoxes, and, above all, no more Hunger Games. Never again will we watch our friends, our neighbors, and our children go off to fight to the death for, so called, entertainment.

Now, now we can make a new life for ourselves. A fair and just government will soon be put in place. We will have the freedom to say what we think, to practice our beliefs, to travel. This is just the beginning, of something new, of something big, of something world changing." I pause briefly and make one quick decision in my head. "I would like to tell you all a story, my story." I look to the mayor and he nods to me.

"I was born in District Twelve, to a family in the Seam, which is the lowest class in Twelve. I had my mother, my father, and my brother Kline. My father worked in the mines, my mother stayed home, she would wash clothes for people who needed it. When I was three, I met my best friend, Gale. You all know him, Commander Hawthorne. We grew inseparable. We did everything together." I look back to the screen behind me that was set up, on it, I see the picture I had given Lucas and told him to put up if I made this speech. The one from my house, with Gale laughing and me tucked into his chest. The one after they had joked of us getting married; I swallow the lump in my throat. "During the winter when I was five, my mother got a fever. We were so poor, we couldn't afford medication for her. One night, she died. I never got to know my mother, but my family helped me through it, so did Gale. Life went on though, barely scrapping by. People would joke around with Gale and I, say one day, we'll be married. Years later, when I was fourteen, there was a mining accident. Gale's father was killed in it. He became the man of his household; which included his mother, who was due with his sister Posy any day, and his two brothers, Vick and Rory. From after that day, I never spent time with Gale anymore, we only said good morning to each other. He hunted for his family in the woods. He got his family to survive. Four years later, and I had lost my best friend. During that time, I protected him. I would stand up for him at school, even if he never knew I did. But then, one day, there was another accident in the mines. My father was killed. We lay him to rest next to my mother. Kline was only seventeen, almost eighteen. He wasn't old enough to work in the mines. We started to starve. There were nights when I would just sit on my porch and cry. Because I felt like I was going to die. Gale saw this, but he did nothing. Just before we were going to starve, Kline got work in the mines. We got food again, firewood again. We came back to life. For the next two years we would get by. He would go to work the same time as Gale, I would walk Vick and Rory to school and help Gale's mother.

Last year, I was walking through the District when the sirens went off. The mining sirens. Another mining accident. I was filled with fear for both Gale and Kline as I sprinted off to the mines. I waited hours, I was filled with relief when Gale came up. I had waited hours later for my brother, when he came up, he was dying. I got a man to carry him home for me. He died in our house, in my arms." I take a breath, the square is completely silent as I talk, you could hear a pin drop. Eyes transfixed on me. "I went to the mines a week later, I got a job, I became a miner. That's when Gale decided to speak to me again, after six years. Over time, and many fights later, he explained why he didn't talk to me again. He thought I didn't want to be his friend, he thought I would be bothered, he thought I didn't deserve him anymore. Gale and I would walk to the mines everyday together, we were mining partners, we were best friends again. I don't know when it started, but I realized I loved him one day. He was my rock, he was my world, he was the reason I got up in the morning. The first time he actually kissed me, as in not being seven years old, was in the woods. After I was yelling, no, screaming, at him. He did it to shut me up. I hated him for it, but I got over it. He took care of me when I was hurt in the mines. One day I saw him being whipped, he was whipped unconscious. I went and demanded they stop, that he had gone through enough. I was whipped in his place." At this, I turn around and lift up my shirt, uncovering the jagged scars that cover my back. People gasp but I turn back around and finish my story. "The last night of the Games, Gale and I lead two hundred people out to safety from District Twelve, out to the woods. We were about to go back to the safety of the woods when we realized his brother and Katniss's sister were missing. I went back in to get them, demanding that Gale go with the people. He kissed me, he told me he loved me, he told me he cared about me, before I ran back into the District that was still being bombed. I found the kids, they were trapped in a burning building, I got them out. I burnt my leg on the flames, but I demanded them to run. Run they did, I staggered along behind them. I saw Gale, standing by the fence, yelling for me to run faster. I did. I told him to go, to just go back. The kids reached him and went under the fence. I urged Gale on, he went under and looked back. He screamed and pointed to something above me, I looked up and saw a bomb coming towards me. I looked back to Gale and saw his gray eyes pleading for me. That's when the bomb hit, I was thrown through the air. From the air I remember seeing Gale's face. Then the world went black and I remember his screams. That's the last time I saw him.

None of this would have happened if it weren't for the Capital. My mother, she would be alive, my father would be alive, my brother would be alive. Gale," I can't help as my voice catches in a quick cry, "Gale would be alive. You're family members, you're friends, would be alive. Now we have a new chance though, none of that will happen again. So, there is only one more thing I want you to remember, to ask yourself. Who are you now? Because you should be proud, don't become like me. I'm just, nothing. A girl good with words. A girl who's lost everything. Who am I? Whatever that is, I hope you don't have to go there. Make a life for yourself. Because the Capital burned us, and we made them burn right along with us." There's a few seconds of silence before the square erupts into cheers again. I stand there though, emotionless. After about five minutes, the mayor comes up from behind and tells me I can go. The applause has died down considerably, but it still goes on. I brag my feet on the ground as I make my way to go behind the screen, this way, I won't have to confront anyone.

"You're Denver Rowsell" I stop dead in my tracks at the voice. "You're a girl from the Seam. A strong girl. A miner from crew 287." The voice continues and I slowly turn around and scan the crowd for him. It's Gale's voice. "You're the girl I grew up with. You're strong, fierce, uptight, and fantastic." I'm making my way back to the podium now, just to get closer to look. I can't find him. "You're a sister, a daughter, a best friend, a trader, an ally, a Commander, a soldier." Then I see him as the crowd moves to give him a path. I feel my heart swell, my eyes fill with tears of joy at his face. He's, alive.

He's alive and beat up. He's limping as he walks forwards, a microphone clipped on his ear, his right arm in a brace. Before I can even think I run and jump off the stage that's five feet off the ground, I land at a dead run.

"You're mine" I hear and see the huge smile in Gale's voice and on his face. It doesn't take me long at all to reach his arms and be taken into him. I bury my head in his chest as he hugs me close to him. I breath in his scent, the same as it always was, the woods. I feel his warm breath on my neck.

"I love you" I murmur into his chest, I'm vaguely aware that the whole mass of people can hear us because of the microphone on Gale's ear, but I don't care. Gale pulls back so he can look me in the eyes, so I can look at his. Fiery silver. So much is there, it's who Gale is, his eyes tell a story of their own. There's so much there now; pride, fire, courage, relief, and love.

"I love you too Denver." He says softly, then pulls me close to him and puts his lips fiercely on mine. I put my arms around his neck and my hands go to his hair, he groans and pulls me closer. The people around us are all clapping and cheering for us. Gale apparently takes this and it builds his confidence and as I open my mouth for air slips his tongue in, I don't even try in the slightest to stop him. I'm just glad he's back. Eventually we do pull away though and his forehead rests on mine, our eyes gaze into each other's.

"Don't leave me" I whisper to him.

"I never will, only death will part us." He promises, I press my lips back to his, sealing our deal. Because Gale will be mine, I will be his. Forever.

**Hurray! Hope you liked this story, now; I need to go write the epilogue so I can tell you my idea! Please please review! I got 10 reviews last chapter which is amazing! Let's see if we can beat that! **

**Mocking Verse!**


	19. Epilogue

**Here's the epilogue! Enjoy and review! I'm ditching my usual heading for this..cause it's an epilogue and I feel lazy right now :{**

Denver's POV (five years after last chapter ended):

"GALE HAWTHORNE I HATE YOU!" I scream as loud as I can as another contraction rips through my body. His answer to my statement is only his loud laughter. He takes my hand and squeezes it gently.

"You don't hate me" he grins at me from where he's standing, the side of my hospital bed. I've been in labor for the past six hours and I really am ready for this to be over with, well, I've been ready for the past five hours.

"It's your fault! If you weren't so, so-"

"Sexy, handsome, amazing?" he asks, cutting me off while I searched for the right word.

"Yeah!" I say through gritted teeth.

I still remember the day we found out I was pregnant; it was a bit of a shocker. A bit, I mean, I didn't really complain when Gale would come home from work and pick me up and start kissing me against a wall and a few minutes later carry me to our bedroom. But right now, I'm in too much pain, even with the stupid shot they gave me.

Gale kisses me softly on the cheek. "You're doing great Den" he croons to me; I turn my head to glare at him.

"You have no _idea _how great I'm doing." This makes him laugh again. I put another death grip on his hand as my body causes pain to shoot through itself again. "Gale!" I gasp.

"Denver now!" the doctor instruct me. "Push!" I do as I'm told; I just want this baby out of me. Now.

I let out an exasperated sigh of relief and fall back onto the pillows when I finally know it's over. One, because I feel a lot less fat, and two, I can hear the cries of my baby now. I glance right at the clock. 12:02 A.M. I laugh, that's ironic. Twelve, our old home District, and then Two, our new home District.

I look back to the doctor and put my arms out towards her. She smiles at me and holds out the bundle. "It's a boy." She smiles as she puts my child, Gale and I's child, in my arms. I look down at the little baby boy and then back at Gale. His eyes are shining; he looks up at me and kisses me. Then he goes and kisses our child. "What's his name?" the doctor asks. I look back to Gale and smile.

"Dane Pine Hawthorne" Gale says proudly. It's a name we agreed on weeks before. I look from Dane to Gale, my family. My boys. I pull Dane closer to me and kiss his forehead as he settles down. As I look down at him he opens his eyes for the first time to look at us. Gray eyes. Seam eyes. I look to Gale and see that glint in his eyes that I know is mirrored in my own. That hopefully will appear in our son's. Because Gale and I have the same kind of heart, which has been passed down to our son from us, from our fathers, and from our father's fathers. The heart of determination, the heart to stand up for what you believe in.

A miner's heart.

**I like the ending..i always try and put the book title in the last chapter somehow so I thought this fit nicely. So ANYWAYS now I can finally tell you my big idea!**

**So I was thinking of making a kinda sequel to this, note the **_**kinda. **_**Like a story that has Dane in it and he goes off and meets like Peeta and Katniss's daughter and ya see where that goes from there ;). I couldn't mention it earlier cause then that would've given away that Denver and Gale end up together. So, I'll probably end up writing it anyways, either before or after this other idea I've had due to my recent obsession with Cato(much of which comes from the help of Alexander Ludwig). I want to do one kind of an AU where District Two has like an academy where kids train from age twelve for the Games and then if they want volunteer at age eighteen and like follow Cato through that along with his roommate, which is the same the whole time the kids are at the academy, through their story from age twelve up until eighteen. And it would be like training for the games isn't illegal and Two is really big and high tech and professional with it and such. So, theres a poll on my profile if you want to vote for which one to see next! Thanks to everyone who read this story, it is my best story so far according to its stats which I'm proud to announce:**

**73 Reviews, 6,740 hits, 33 favs, and 43 alerts! I thank you all!**

**Mocking Verse**


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